Underwear, wigs, cheat sheets: unusual finds in Kazakhstan's planes and airports

Tengrinews.kz - Traveling brings both joy and stress for passengers and their companions. Amid the rush and preparations, it’s easy to forget items—both valuable and not. In the past year, Kazakhstani travelers often left belongings behind in airports and airplanes.
Passengers frequently forget gadgets and clothing items on planes. According to Air Astana, typical forgotten items include mobile phones, headphones, wallets, passports, ID cards, glasses, watches, house or car keys, jewelry, scarves, hats, neck pillows, children's toys, bottles, and Duty-Free shopping bags.

"Unusual items include: contact lenses, extravagant bouquets, pants, shirts, shoes—sometimes just one shoe—wigs, photo albums, underwear, hosiery, handicrafts, medals from competitions, certificates, exam tickets with answers, cheat sheets, and other notes," Air Astana revealed in response to a formal inquiry from Tengrinews.kz.

All lost items are sent to Air Astana’s Lost & Found offices located in both airport terminals. Items are stored for 30 days before being donated to charity. Perishable goods are disposed of within three days.
According to Scat Airlines, passengers often reach out about forgotten belongings, though fewer inquiries are received in summer compared to winter.

"Each airline office has boxes filled with forgotten documents, including passports and ID cards of passengers. During the colder months, passengers often leave behind outerwear in the cabin. Commonly forgotten items also include mobile phones, carry-on bags, and backpacks," Scat Airlines representatives told a Tengrinews.kz correspondent.

The most unusual item left behind on a Scat airplane was a large Lego Hogwarts Castle set.

"When forgotten items are discovered, the cabin crew fills out a corresponding report. This is done in the presence of aviation security personnel and airline representatives. After the report is completed, all present parties sign it, and the item is handed over to the airline's office," the airline added.

At Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport in Astana, passengers and visitors most frequently forget hats, scarves, children's bags, jackets, and books. In 2024, a total of 1,711 such items were found at the airport. Other commonly forgotten items include phones, documents, and jewelry, which are handed over to the police department located at the airport. All other forgotten belongings are sent to baggage storage facilities in the terminals for domestic and international flights.

"Passengers often return to retrieve their lost belongings, especially when it comes to documents, phones, and other valuable items. If forgotten items remain unclaimed for a month, the storage staff creates a report, after which the items are subject to disposal," said the press service of Astana Airport in response to an official inquiry from Tengrinews.kz.

At Almaty Airport, they mentioned that some of the most unusual items found last year included a dental prosthesis, mattresses and pillows, pieces of clothing (pants and jeans), and a wooden stick. Airport staff were also surprised by warm jackets found at the terminal during the summer.

"All forgotten items found at Almaty Airport are stored in the Lost&Found department for six months, in accordance with Article 245 of the Civil Code. Passengers can claim their belongings by contacting the airport police department," the press service noted.

If a passenger does not collect their luggage upon arrival, it will be stored at the Almaty International Airport warehouse for five days. After this period, the luggage is transferred to the head office of the airline that handled the transport. Passengers can recover their luggage by contacting the Lost&Found service within five days of the flight's arrival.