Japan Airlines to Trial Luggage-Handling Robots at Haneda
The demonstration, conducted in partnership with Tokyo-based GMO Internet Group, is slated to run through 2028 and is being touted as the first initiative of its kind in Japan. Day-to-day operations will be managed by JAL Ground Service — the Japan Airlines subsidiary responsible for cargo handling, aircraft guidance, and related tasks — working in close collaboration with GMO AI & Robotics, a firm dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence and robotics for real-world applications.
The urgency behind the initiative is rooted in a compounding crisis: surging travel demand, partly fueled by a wave of inbound tourism, colliding head-on with acute staff shortages driven by Japan's rapidly aging population — a combination that has put severe strain on airport ground crews nationwide.
JAL Ground Service President Yoshiteru Suzuki noted that deploying robots to physically demanding roles is expected to ease the workload on employees, while stressing that critical functions — safety management chief among them — will continue to require human oversight.
GMO AI & Robotics President Tomohiro Uchida offered a candid assessment of the industry's structural vulnerabilities, observing that despite airports projecting an image of high automation, many backend operations remain heavily reliant on manual labor and are facing severe staffing shortfalls. He stated that humanoid robotics deployment is central to the company's strategy for addressing those gaps.
The Chinese-manufactured robots earmarked for the trial are currently capable of sustained operation for two to three hours per charge — a baseline the companies are expected to push further as the program matures. Looking ahead, both firms confirmed plans to explore expanded applications for the technology, with aircraft cabin cleaning identified as a priority area for future phases.
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