The number of bags lost by airlines worldwide rose by a record 25 per cent to 42million last year as rising airport congestion and increased security disrupted baggage systems, a study has found.

One in 50 bags went missing and one in 2,000 passengers lost a bag permanently, according to SITA, an information technology company which tracks passenger baggage worldwide for the air transport industry.

The study found that airlines had failed to invest adequately in a more robust baggage tagging system which would make it easier to locate missing bags.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, which are slightly more expensive than standard barcode tags but much more reliable, have been available for years but have yet to be rolled out across the industry.

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SITA said the overall cost to carriers of mishandled baggage in 2007 was $3.8 billion, or an average of $90 per lost or delayed bag.

Francesco Violante, SITA’s chief executive, said: “It is important that we continue to move towards a comprehensive, fully-integrated global baggage management system that can direct, track and trace passenger baggage throughout the entire journey from check-in to final delivery at the destination.

“RFID could save the industry as much $700 million if it was fully implemented across the industry.”

The study said the main causes of lost bags were congestion due to growing passenger numbers, tight aircraft turnaround times and increased security.

The study follows the breakdown of the baggage-handling system that marred the opening of the showcase new Terminal 5 at London’s Heathrow airport at the end of March.

Huge volumes of luggage piled up, causing hundreds of flight cancellations, leaving British Aiways with a £16million compensation bill.

The SITA report said that most bags that went astray were delivered to their owners within 48 hours.

The statistics came from SITA’s automated tracing system for missing bags, which is used by some 400 airlines and ground-handling companies.

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