British Airways has announced it will trial AI-powered autonomous robots at its home at Heathrow Terminal 5 from next year.

The technology is designed to help some of the 90,000 customers who travel through the terminal each day navigate through the airport, freeing up the airlines’ airport hosts to help customers with more complex queries.

The robots, from tech company BotsAndUs, are programmed to interact with passengers in multiple different languages using the latest translation technology to answer thousands of questions, including real-time flight information.

Additionally, using geo-location technology and dozens of advanced sensors to constantly monitor a 360˚ radius, the robot will move around the airport terminal freely and safely, escorting customers to specific locations such as the airline’s dedicated special assistance and family check-in zones.

To complement its investment in technology and automation, last year British Airways launched a multi-million-pound investment in enhanced training for colleagues as part of its first contact resolution programme at Heathrow.

The programme empowers customer service agents to use their expertise, initiative and judgment to solve customer queries on the spot using a suite of specialised apps on iPads.

Following the overwhelmingly positive response to the new service from customers at Heathrow, the airline is now rolling the programme out across its worldwide network.

Ricardo Vidal, British Airways head of innovation, said the combination of automation and personalised customer service will define the airport of the future.

“We are always looking for new and innovative ways to use automation to help our customers enjoy a faster and smoother journey through the airport and beyond.

“These smart robots are the latest innovation allowing us to free up our people to deal with immediate issues and offer that one-on-one service we know our customers appreciate.

“In the future, I envisage a fleet of robots working side-by-side with our people offering a truly seamless travel experience.”