Japan Airlines tests humanoid robots: airports enter a new phase of automation
In May 2026, Japan Airlines is launching a demonstration project in which humanoid robots will be used in ground handling operations at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. The project is being carried out by JAL Ground Service, the company responsible for operations such as aircraft towing, loading and unloading baggage and cargo, and GMO AI & Robotics Corporation, a member of the GMO Internet Group focused on the application of artificial intelligence and robotics. According to the companies’ announcement, this is the first such demonstration experiment in Japan, and the goal is not to completely remove people from the process, but to verify whether humanoid robots can reduce the physical burden on employees, ease the labor shortage and increase efficiency in a system that must function precisely, safely and under great time pressure.
Japan Airlines’ decision comes at a moment when the aviation industry is facing a double challenge: passenger traffic has recovered and is growing again, while many jobs behind the scenes of travel still remain highly dependent on human labor. In public perception, airports are often seen as highly automated spaces, with electronic tickets, self-service baggage drop-off, digital controls and sophisticated flight-tracking systems. But behind that image there is still a large number of workers who, in restricted zones around aircraft, move carts, operate ground equipment, transfer baggage, supervise safety procedures and react to changes in flight schedules. It is precisely this invisible part of air transport that has become an area where robotics is moving increasingly quickly from the demonstration phase into the phase of serious industrial testing.
Why humanoid robots specifically
JAL and its partners emphasize that they chose the humanoid form because airports and aircraft are designed for human movement and human reach. Conventional automated equipment, industrial belts or single-purpose robots can be effective in stable and predictable environments, but it is harder for them to adapt to cramped spaces around aircraft, different forms of ground equipment and changing operational scenarios. A humanoid robot, if it is sufficiently stable, mobile and safely programmed, can move through an environment that does not need to be thoroughly redesigned, which is especially important in aviation because infrastructure changes are expensive, slow and strictly regulated.
According to the available information, the initial phase of the project will not immediately mean the routine takeover of baggage on every flight. The plan is first to analyze real airside operations, identify tasks in which a robot can safely participate and then carry out repeated checks under conditions that simulate the real airport environment. This includes testing movement, stability, interaction with human workers, the ability to perform tasks without disrupting safety protocols and the possibility of working in dynamic conditions in which vehicles, equipment and personnel are moving at the same time. Such a gradual approach is important because ground handling does not tolerate improvisation: even the smallest error can cause delays, material damage or a safety risk.
In the following phases, according to the plans of the companies involved, robots could help with baggage loading, cabin cleaning and potentially the operation of certain forms of ground equipment. This does not mean that robots will independently assume responsibility for safety-critical tasks. Representatives of JAL Ground Service point out that jobs requiring a high level of judgment, especially safety management and aircraft guidance, will still remain in the human domain. In this way, the project is positioned as a model of cooperation between human and machine, not as a simple replacement of workers with robots.
Demographic pressure and labor shortage
The Japanese context is crucial for understanding why such a project is being launched right now. Japan has for years recorded population aging and a decline in the working-age population, which is felt especially strongly in physically demanding sectors such as logistics, construction, care, hospitality and air transport. In reports and analyses by Japanese institutions, the labor shortage is described as a long-term and persistent problem, not as a short-term consequence of pandemic disruptions. An airport is, at the same time, a particularly demanding working environment: work takes place in shifts, under time pressure, in the open air and close to expensive equipment and passenger aircraft.
At the same time, inbound tourism in Japan is again creating strong pressure on transport and tourism infrastructure. According to data from the Japan National Tourism Organization, Japan recorded about 3.47 million arrivals of foreign visitors in February 2026, which was the highest result for the month of February and an increase compared with the year before. In the first two months of 2026, the number of arrivals exceeded seven million. Such a level of demand creates an additional burden for airports, hotels, carriers and services that are not always seen in the foreground of the tourist experience, but without which the system cannot operate.
In that sense, Japan Airlines’ project is not an isolated technological attraction, but an attempt to respond to a concrete economic problem. If there are not enough workers for physically difficult and repetitive jobs, companies can try to raise wages, reorganize shifts, introduce more foreign workers, reduce the scope of service or invest in technology. Robotics is increasingly viewed as one of the tools in that set, especially where the goal is to reduce exhausting tasks and enable employees to focus on supervision, safety, coordination and communication with passengers.
Aviation is becoming automated, but safety remains decisive
The International Air Transport Association IATA, in its materials on the future of ground operations, states that the sector is facing pressures related to costs, sustainability, technological development, the workforce and ever-growing passenger expectations. These changes do not mean that airports will become fully autonomous systems overnight. Quite the opposite, aviation is among the most strictly regulated industries, so new technologies are introduced through testing, standards, certifications and gradual acceptance. A robot that successfully moves cargo in a laboratory must prove that it can work in a real airport environment, near a passenger aircraft, supply vehicles, baggage carts, personnel and weather changes.
The greatest advantage of humanoid robots could be precisely in jobs that are physically demanding for people but operationally repetitive. Baggage handling involves lifting, pushing, bending, working in unfavorable positions and frequent changes of rhythm, especially during peak loads. If a robot takes over part of such actions, employees could have a lower risk of injuries and fatigue, and companies a more stable work schedule. But the limitations are still significant. Available reports state that robots at this stage have a limited time of continuous operation before charging, and their ability to adapt to sudden situations still has to be proven in practice.
That is why it is important to distinguish automation from autonomy. Automation can mean that a robot performs a precisely defined action in a supervised environment, while autonomy implies broader decision-making and independent risk assessment. At an airport, the latter level of responsibility remains extremely sensitive. Passengers may see only the moment of handing over a suitcase, but behind it is a complex chain of rules about weight, safety, cargo distribution, transfer priorities and aircraft turnaround time between two flights. In such a system, a robot can be a useful tool, but not the sole decision-maker.
Tourism demands efficiency, but also trust
The wider tourism sector has been experimenting with robots for years, from hotel receptions and delivery robots to autonomous vacuum cleaners, digital consultants and translation systems. Airports use robots for passenger information, cleaning, security surveillance and logistics tasks, but humanoid robots in ground handling represent a more ambitious step because they enter the operational core of air transport. For the tourism industry this is important because the quality of travel is not measured only by comfort on the aircraft or the attractiveness of the destination, but also by the reliability of all transition points: check-in, baggage, transfers, boarding and exiting the airport.
If automation reduces delays, lost baggage and the burden on employees, passengers could feel a concrete benefit. But technological solutions at the same time open questions of trust. Passengers and workers must be certain that robots do not create additional risks, that malfunctions are resolved quickly and that, in the event of a problem, there is clear human responsibility. In aviation, trust is not built only through innovation, but through proving reliability across a large number of repeated, safe and predictable operations.
For workers, the issue is even more complex. The companies involved in the project emphasize reducing workload and supporting human tasks, but every major change in automation naturally opens a debate about the future of jobs. In a realistic scenario, the most likely short-term outcome is not the disappearance of ground personnel, but a change in the job profile. Part of the physical work could move to robots, while people would take on more supervision, maintenance, safety checks, exception management and coordination. This means that companies will have to invest in training, not only in the procurement of machines.
Japan as a laboratory for the future of airports
In the global debate on robotics, Japan is often viewed as a country in which technological innovations are connected with demographic challenges. Automation is not only a matter of prestige, but also an attempt to maintain the level of service in a society in which it is becoming increasingly difficult to find enough people for certain types of jobs. In that sense, Haneda can become an important testing ground for models that could later be applied elsewhere as well, but only if they prove to be safe, economically justified and acceptable to workers.
Global aviation is closely watching such projects because the problems of ground handling do not appear only in Japan. After the pandemic, many airports faced a shortage of trained staff, growing demand, cost pressure and passenger expectations that service should run quickly and without interruption. Robotics, artificial intelligence and digital work planning are therefore becoming part of a broader resilience strategy. Still, solutions will not be introduced everywhere equally quickly. The cost of technology, regulation, union relations, labor availability and existing infrastructure differ from market to market.
Japan Airlines’ experiment should therefore be seen as the beginning of a long process, not as a finished revolution. If, during the phases until 2028, it turns out that humanoid robots can work safely and usefully alongside people, airports could gain a new tool for easing labor shortages and increasing operational stability. If it turns out that the limitations are greater than the benefits, the project will still provide important data about where the boundaries of today’s robotics lie. In both cases, the message is clear: the future of aviation and tourism will not be shaped only in the cockpit or the passenger terminal, but also on the apron, among baggage carts, service vehicles and the workers who maintain the rhythm of global travel.
Sources:- Japan Airlines / JAL Group – official announcement on the start of the demonstration experiment with humanoid robots at airports (link)- Channel NewsAsia – report on the testing of humanoid robots for baggage handling at Haneda Airport (link)- Anadolu Ajansı – report on Japan Airlines’ pilot project, the labor shortage and the role of GMO AI & Robotics (link)- IATA – overview of trends and challenges in air transport ground operations (link)- Japan National Tourism Organization – statistics on foreign visitor arrivals in Japan in February 2026 (link)- Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training – overview of the long-term labor shortage in Japan according to the White Paper on Labour Economy (link)
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