Ubtech Robotics Humanoids Land at Haneda Airport as Revenue from Walker Line Jumped 20-Fold Last Year

Japan Airlines pilots Ubtech's Walker E humanoids at Haneda Airport for ground handling amid labor shortages. Ubtech reports 20x revenue surge, targets 10,000 robot deliveries this year.

Japan Airlines is putting Ubtech Robotics’ humanoid machines to work at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, marking the Chinese company’s first major foray into aviation. The pilot project uses the Walker E model to tow aircraft, load baggage, and clean cabins – a response to acute ground-handling staff shortages. The deal opens a new market beyond the automotive plants where Ubtech’s robots already serve BYD, Foxconn, and Geely.

The expansion comes on the back of a sharp financial upturn. Ubtech delivered exactly 1,079 humanoid robots in the past fiscal year, generating 821 million yuan in segment revenue – more than 20 times the prior year’s 36 million yuan. Total group revenue climbed 53% to roughly 2 billion yuan, while the net loss narrowed to 790 million yuan, beating analyst expectations. Gross margin reached nearly 38% last year, and management has set a target of above 40% for the current year.

To fund the next growth phase, Ubtech secured 800 million yuan in fresh credit lines from multiple banks. Shareholders also authorised a buyback of up to 10% of the company’s H-shares, a move analysts interpret as a signal of confidence in the stock’s valuation. The shares rose 6% on Friday alone, pushing the weekly gain to nearly 7% and closing at 12.59 euros – above the 50-day moving average of 11.67 euros. Brokerages now see further upside, with price targets for the Hong Kong-listed stock ranging from 154 to 158 Hong Kong dollars.

Production capacity is being ramped up accordingly. Ubtech targets 5,000 humanoid units for fiscal 2026, while a separate management statement calls for 10,000 deliveries in the current fiscal year. To achieve this scale, the company is working with Siemens to digitalise and accelerate manufacturing. On the factory floor, the new Walker S2 platform is already being deployed commercially in automotive plants, where current robots reach about half the productivity of a human worker. Software updates are expected to lift that ratio to 80% as real-world operational data is fed back into the system.

Underpinning the hardware push is Ubtech’s proprietary AI model, Thinker-WM, which acts as a “brain” for the robot fleet. Real-time data from auto factories flows directly into simulations, teaching the machines complex tasks such as sorting and quality inspection. The logistics subsidiary, UQI, recently teamed up with Honda Trading to extend the network across key global production hubs.

The aviation pilot at Haneda is the latest sign that Ubtech’s addressable market is widening well beyond automotive. With the Walker E now handling ground operations at one of the world’s busiest airports, the company is proving its humanoid technology can adapt to sectors where labour shortages are acute. Investors are taking note: the stock sits comfortably above its 50-day line, and the buyback mandate underscores a management team that sees the current valuation as a buying opportunity.