Japan Airlines (JAL) has launched a three-year humanoid robot trial at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. The airline has partnered with GMO AI & Robotics to deploy two robots from Unitree Robotics for baggage handling, container transport, and cabin cleaning.
Each robot costs approximately $15,400. JAL chose a humanoid form because airports are designed around humans, not wheeled machines. The bipedal robots can move flexibly within the existing layout without the need for expensive infrastructure modifications.
The decision was driven by Japan's declining workforce.
It is projected that Japan's working-age population will decrease by 31% between 2023 and 2060. Haneda Airport handles about 85.9 million passengers annually. JAL currently employs around 4,000 ground service staff, while the Japanese government aims to achieve a target of 60 million inbound tourists by 2030, an increase from 42.7 million in 2025.
The demand for airport labor continues to rise, but the available workforce is shrinking.
Humanoid robots are rapidly entering factories and airports.
BMW has operated two Figure 02 robots from Figure AI at its Spartanburg plant in South Carolina for 11 months.
A UK-based startup, Humanoid, signed a binding deployment agreement with German motion technology company Schaeffler in May 2026.
The agreement covers the deployment of thousands of wheeled humanoid robots at Schaeffler's global manufacturing sites by 2032. The agreement adopts a Robot-as-a-Service model, integrating fleet management, maintenance, and round-the-clock technical support.
Trade wars complicate the landscape for robot construction.
In March 2026, the Korean Trade Commission imposed anti-dumping duties of up to 19.85% on Chinese robots and tariffs of up to 18.64% on Japanese robots.
In the U.S., executives in the robotics industry have pressured Congress for subsidies for domestic production and tariffs on Chinese industrial robots. Evan Beard, CEO of Standard Bots, told lawmakers last December, according to Cryptopolitan, that U.S. quotes are ten times that of Chinese suppliers.