Japan airline taps robots to wash planes
A major Japanese airline on Friday said it will introduce a robot that will wash aircraft exteriors at Narita International Airport near Tokyo, the first to do so among the country’s domestic airlines.
Japan Airlines (JAL) said the AW3 robot, developed by Sweden-based Aerowash AB, can clean an aircraft using a remotely operated telescopic arm.
Maintenance risks
The robot will begin its full-scale operation later this year after staff complete the necessary training, the airline said.
Manual cleaning will still continue with long-handled mops. But the company said it expects labor hours to be reduced by up to 40 percent per aircraft.
Apart from reducing workloads, automation will reduce the risk to staff of working at heights and exposure to chemicals, JAL said.
On Friday the airline held a demonstration for the media at its aircraft-washing facility in Narita—showcasing both the current manual washing method and the automated washing method using the AW3.
“The goal is not to reduce staff, but to reduce their workloads so they can use the time saved to perform other high-value tasks, changing the way they work,” said Atsuki Kino, an official at JAL’s Airport Ground Handling Planning Department.
JAL plans to introduce one unit initially at the Narita airport and will consider introducing the robot at other airports.
