“Let me have your passports, please,” Olivia, one of our accompanying hosts, said as soon as we boarded the bus.

I was part of a group of 33 Kenyan journalists visiting China for a Seminar for Mid- and Senior-Level Media Managers and Editors from Kenya, sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce and organised by CICG Institute of International Studies and Advanced Training.

We had just arrived at Ningbo Lishe International Airport after flying from Beijing Daxing International Airport aboard an Air China flight. We disembarked from the aircraft, collected our checked-in luggage and made our way into the waiting bus.

We were settling into our seats when Olivia asked us to hand over our passports for safekeeping.

I reached for my carry-on bag. I searched through it once, then again. Nothing. I started fidgeting, checking my trouser pockets from one side to the other. Nothing.

Then the horrifying thought struck me. I had left my passport in the plane.

For a few seconds, I froze, and my mouth went dry. I panicked as I turned to tell Olivia that I had left my passport in the aircraft.

For someone travelling in a foreign country, a passport is a lifeline, yet I had just left mine in an aircraft. I immediately got off the bus and went back into the airport accompanied by Von, one of our hosts.

We went to the Enquiries Desk, explained what had happened, and the staff quickly contacted the Air China aircraft we had travelled in. We were asked to wait for about 30 minutes.

My heart was thumping as I thought about what would happen if the passport was not found. How would I replace it while in China? Would the loss affect the rest of my trip? How would I return home?

Time seemed to move painfully slowly. I did not know how I would get through the seemingly prolonged 30 minutes, which felt like an eternity.

Then, after about 20 minutes, the lady at the Enquiries Desk beckoned us. We rushed towards her desk.

“The passport has been found,” she said.

I released a huge sigh of relief when I saw her holding my blue East African Community passport. After verifying that the passport indeed belonged to me, she handed it over.

“Be careful next time,” she said.

I thanked her and held on to my passport tightly.

As the anxiety subsided, I began reflecting on what had just happened. The incident gave me an unexpected glimpse into the culture of efficiency, integrity and responsibility at this airport, which I believe is reflected in airports across China.

The staff responded promptly, traced the aircraft and ensured that the passport was returned to its rightful owner.

Airports are often judged by the number of passengers they handle, the punctuality of flights, baggage systems and the efficiency with which people move through their terminals.

But sometimes, the character of an airport is revealed in an incident such as mine. My passport may have seemed like a small object in a large international airport, yet it meant the world to me. Its loss had the potential to disrupt my entire trip.

I left Ningbo Lishe International Airport with my passport safely in my possession and hoped that airports the world over would respond to passengers’ small crises with the same efficiency, responsibility and integrity.