Japan Airlines has begun testing humanoid robots at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport in a two-year trial aimed at reducing workload pressures on ground staff. The robots, developed in partnership with GMO AI & Robotics, are currently being used for physically demanding tasks such as loading and unloading cargo containers. The initiative comes as Japan’s aviation sector faces a labour shortage caused by rising tourism and a shrinking working-age population. Airport operator JAL, which employs thousands of ground handling workers, hopes the robots will eventually assist in other areas such as cabin cleaning and operating support equipment. While automation is already present in some Japanese airports for tasks like security and retail, many back-end operations still rely heavily on human labour. Officials involved in the project say robots can help ease physical strain on workers, but emphasize that critical roles such as safety management will continue to require human oversight.
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