Japan Airlines trials humanoid robots as ground handlers

These robots may in future help clean cabins and operate ground support equipment. Japan Airlines trials humanoid robots as ground handlers Robot helps Tokyo airport crew load cargo... then waves at 'colleague' Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. A humanoid robot pushes a cargo container during a media demonstration at Haneda airport in Tokyo on April 27, 2026. Japan Airlines will test the use of such robots at the airport from May, as the airline aims for their practical use in ground handling tasks, such as cargo loading and unloading, in 2028 amid a chronic manpower shortage Watch: Robot helps Tokyo airport crew load cargo... then waves at 'colleague' Silver robot with black joints and hands stands in front of a JAL cargo container. Japan Airlines (JAL) will start using humanoid robots in ground handling tasks at Tokyo's Haneda airport from May, in a two-year trial it said is aimed at easing employees' workload. For a start, the Chinese-made robots will be deployed to load and unload cargo containers, JAL and GMO AI & Robotics, its partner in the project, said in a demonstration to the media on Monday. Japan's aviation industry is wrestling with a labour crunch brought on by an increase in inbound tourism and a declining working-age population, said JAL, which employs some 4,000 ground handling staff. The carrier hopes that these robots can also be used to clean cabins and operate ground support equipment in future. Robots are already being used in some airports across Japan, including for security patrol and retail. Japan welcomed more than seven million foreign visitors in the first two months of this year, according to statistics from JTB Group, which runs Japan's largest travel agency. "While airports appear highly automated and standardised, their back-end operations still rely heavily on human labour and face serious labour shortages," GMO AI & Robotics' president Tomohiro Uchida told reporters. Using robots for physically demanding tasks will "provide significant benefits to employees", Kyodo news agency quoted Yoshiteru Suzuk, the president of JAL's Ground Service, saying. But he noted that some duties, including safety management, can only be handled by humans. At least 15 people have died after a train crashed into the female-only carriage of a commuter train in Bekasi. Tokyo had warned that installing the structure in Auckland could jeopardise diplomatic relations. Prada had faced backlash last year after it showcased similar designs at a fashion show without acknowledging their Indian roots. Boss József Váradi says European firms want to boost flyers put off by fares inflated by jet fuel costs. The States Trading Supervisory Board is asked what the first year of the route would cost. Airlines are putting up prices and cancelling flights in response to higher jet fuel prices. Sixth‑formers experience a lesson out of the ordinary by flying on an aviation laboratory aircraft. Here's your ultimate guide to what is being proposed and why people are protesting.