Lufthansa Innovation Hub and Munich Airport Terminal 2 partners will launch autonomous robot-like pilots to drive aviation innovation and enhance operations.
BERLIN – Lufthansa Group's Berlin-based innovation centre, Lufthansa Group, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU).
As the aviation industry continues to evolve, several challenges must be addressed in both customer and business aspects. Innovation plays a key role in addressing these challenges, offering opportunities for digitization, automation, optimization and reinvention. By signing the MOU, the parties recognize the mutual benefits of collaboration and express their intention to explore joint initiatives to promote innovation in the aviation sector.
The goal is to improve operational stability and sustainability. Pilot projects with startups act as key levers for implementing innovative solutions. Currently, two robots by robot startup Ottonomi are deploying at Munich Airport Terminal 2.
The partnership focuses on:
Identifies problems in the aviation industry but is not limited to efficiency, operational stability, passenger experience, and sustainability. Easily and development of pilots with innovative startups including LIH ventures. It will be held at Munich Airport Terminal 2. It promotes knowledge exchange and other collaborative opportunities such as sharing best practices, methods and tools.
“Travel innovation is an ecosystem-driven effort,” said Dr. Stefan Nothelfer, Senior Director and Head of Strategic Growth and Director of Strategic Growth at Lufthansa Innovation Hub. “We are excited to partner with Munich Airport Terminal 2 to collectively enhance the customer experience and optimize our business throughout our travel journey.”
“Terminal 2, the first five-star terminal in Europe, is always focused on providing best-in-class service to passengers,” says Matthias Lamben, managing director of the two terminals. “In a faster and more changing world, we need to rely on competent partners who will broaden our views on innovation and help us find solutions that will further enthralle our guests. LufthansaInnovationHub is the ideal partner to continue our success stories.”
Matthias Langbehn, Senior Director of Corporate Ventures and Strategic Growth at Lufthansa Innovation Hub, Dr. Stefan Nothelfer and Managing Director of Terminal 2 Company.
Pioneering robotics at Munich Airport Terminal 2
A specific example of jointly promoting innovation in airport operations by implementing pilot projects is a collaboration with robotics startup Ottommy.
Starting this week, two autonomous robots developed by Ottonomie are deployed in the gates and in the baggage billing area at Munich Airport Terminal 2. The robot is designed to perform a variety of tasks.
By scanning the robot's QR code with the mobile phone, passengers are directed to Lufthansa's chat assistant for self-service options. You can access flight information and manage processes such as rebooking and requesting refunds. The robot also provides important information on airport-related topics such as tax refunds and lost services, further enhancing the passenger experience. Thanks to the integrated container, Ottommy's robots could also be used in the future to transport goods to distribute bottled water to passengers.
Autonomous robots can improve efficiency and customer service
“Our mission is to provide our guests with the best travel experience in Europe,” says Marcus Schnabel, Vice President of Ground Operations Hub Munich. “Employing digital solutions is extremely important to this effort and we are pleased to be a pioneering test ground for innovation.”
The pilot project with ottommy is one of the initiatives attributed to the startup gate Lufthansa Group's venture client arm. Startup Gate connects the Lufthansa Group team with cutting-edge startups, enabling teams to adopt technology quickly, and encourages lean, cost-effective collaboration.
Ottonomy deploys robots for last mile delivery across airports, hospitals and around the world. “Robots powered by contextual AI now allow enterprise customers to drive innovation and provide better customer experience and operational efficiency in the aviation industry,” said Ritukar Vijay, CEO of Ottonomy. “Partnerships with leading industry leaders like Lufthansa bring this vision even closer to reality.”
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