Japan Airlines (JAL) is set to introduce humanoid robots for ground handling tasks at Tokyo's Haneda Airport starting in May, as part of a two-year trial aimed at reducing staff workload amid a labor crunch in the aviation industry.
The robots, manufactured in China, will initially be used to load and unload cargo containers, JAL and its partner GMO AI & Robotics announced during a demonstration on Monday. The carrier, which employs approximately 4,000 ground handling workers, hopes the robots can later take on cabin cleaning and ground support equipment operation.
Japan's aviation sector is struggling with labor shortages driven by a surge in inbound tourism and a shrinking working-age population. According to JTB Group, Japan welcomed over seven million foreign visitors in the first two months of this year alone.
"While airports appear highly automated and standardized, their back-end operations still rely heavily on human labor and face serious labor shortages," said Tomohiro Uchida, president of GMO AI & Robotics, as reported by journalists.
Yoshiteru Suzuk, president of JAL's Ground Service unit, was quoted by Kyodo news agency as saying that using robots for physically demanding tasks will "provide significant benefits to employees." However, he noted that certain duties, such as safety management, must remain under human control.
Robots are already used in some Japanese airports for tasks like security patrols and retail services.