Japan Airlines to Use Humanoid Robots at Haneda Airport
Japan Airlines (JAL) will start using humanoid robots at Haneda airport. The trial begins in May. It will last for two years. The goal is to ease employees’ workload.For a start, the Chinese-made robots will load and unload cargo containers. JAL and its partner, GMO AI & Robotics, demonstrated the robots to the media on Monday.
Labour Crunch in Aviation
Japan’s aviation industry is struggling with a labour crunch. Two factors are driving this. Inbound tourism is increasing. The working-age population is also declining. JAL employs about 4,000 ground handling staff.The carrier hopes the robots can do more in the future. They may clean cabins and operate ground support equipment.
Robots Already in Use
Robots are already used in some Japanese airports. They perform security patrols and retail tasks. Japan welcomed more than seven million foreign visitors in the first two months of this year. That data comes from JTB Group.Tomohiro Uchida is president of GMO AI & Robotics. “Airports appear highly automated,” he told reporters. “But their back-end operations still rely heavily on human labour.” He noted serious labour shortages.Using robots for physically demanding tasks will “provide significant benefits to employees”. That quote comes from Yoshiteru Suzuk, president of JAL’s Ground Service.
