Japan Airlines (JAL) is inviting some high-tech helpers to the runway. Starting this May, the airline will test humanoid robots at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport to help ground crews with their heavy daily tasks.
During a recent media preview, JAL and their partner, GMO AI & Robotics, showed how these Chinese-made machines can load and unload large cargo containers.
This is a two-year trial which comes at a critical time for Japan. The country currently faces a major labour shortage because its working-age population is shrinking while tourism numbers are skyrocketing.
In just the first two months of this year, over seven million international visitors arrived in Japan. JAL, which currently employs 4,000 ground staff, hopes these robots will eventually handle cabin cleaning and move heavy airport equipment.
While travellers might already see robots patrolling terminals or working in shops, the “behind-the-scenes” work remains tough. Tomohiro Uchida, president of GMO AI & Robotics, highlighted this gap to reporters.
“While airports appear highly automated and standardised, their back-end operations still rely heavily on human labour and face serious labour shortages,” he said.
JAL leaders believe this technology will protect the well-being of their human workforce by taking over the most gruelling physical chores.
Yoshiteru Suzuki, the president of JAL’s Ground Service, told the Kyodo news agency that using robots will “provide significant benefits to employees.”
However, he clarified that machines won’t take over everything, noting that vital roles like safety management still require a human touch.
