Japan's busiest airport, Haneda Airport, will begin receiving new employees starting in May who will work without fatigue or burnout. These new employees are humanoid robots made by China's Unitree, and they will be responsible for transporting passengers' luggage and cargo.
This trial will last until 2028, and Japan Airlines (JAL) hopes this will be the best solution to the labor shortage problem the country is currently facing.
The main reason for using these humanoid robots is Japan's aging population and the resulting shortage of workers.
On the other hand, foreign tourist arrivals exceeded 7 million in just the first month of 2026, leading to insufficient labor for airport ground operations. The company is attempting to replace this labor shortage with these robots.
These humanoid robots can work continuously for 2 to 3 hours once charged, and will later be tasked with cleaning responsibilities inside airplane cabins.
However, important aspects such as safety and management will continue to be handled by human employees. This represents a new model of human-technology collaboration, where technology and humans work together.
Ref: The Guardian
