ANA, Toyota Industries Corporation, JAL, and AiRO began practical application of Japan’s first fully automated unmanned towing tractor (equivalent to Level 4) at Haneda and Narita airports on December 15. A press release was held at Haneda Airport.
A towing tractor is a vehicle that tows a cart loaded with cargo and baggage in restricted areas of airports. The two companies have been conducting trials of fully unmanned automated operations, but since the shortage of manpower for ground handling operations is an issue for the entire industry, the two companies have decided to join forces and put the system into practical use.
JAL has one AiRO towing tractor in charge of transporting cargo containers at Haneda Airport. It will run between cargo sheds (East cargo area to West cargo area); two more units are scheduled to be added around August 2026.
ANA has introduced three Toyoda Towing Tractors (3ATE25) for domestic cargo transport at Haneda Airport. They will be operated on scheduled domestic flights. The route is 1.5 km one-way between Terminal 2 spots 60, 61, and 65 and the East Cargo Warehouse, and three additional units are scheduled to be introduced during FY2025.
According to Shinichi Inoue, President and Representative Director of ANA, “In the 2030s, we aim to expand the deployment to six airports in Japan, with a scale of 50 units, or half of the cargo transport fleet, being automatically transported.
JAL President Mitsuko Tottori responded, “JAL aims to expand the deployment to a scale of 50 units in five years (2030) and to two to three airports nationwide.
© Source travel watch