Japan Airlines to Trial Humanoid Robot for Baggage Handling at Airport

Japan Airlines (JAL), the Japanese carrier, will trial the use of a humanoid robot in May 2026. This Chinese-made robot will be tasked with managing ground handling at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport for two years until 2028, as reported by BBC on Wednesday (29/4/2026). The robot is built to resemble a human, enabling efficient operations without significant modifications to existing airport facilities or aircraft structures. It will handle tasks from loading baggage into cabins to operating Ground Support Equipment (GSE), the specialised vehicles used at airports, particularly in the apron area. “Although airports appear highly automated and standardised, the behind-the-scenes operations still heavily rely on human labour and face serious workforce shortages,” said Tomohiro Uchida, president of GMO AI & Robotics, quoted from BBC. Yoshiteru Suzuki, president of JAL Ground Service, added that using robots for physically demanding tasks will provide significant benefits to employees. JAL currently employs around 4,000 ground handling staff across various airports. However, Yoshiteru noted that certain tasks, including safety management, can only be handled by humans.