Hydrogen, Autonomous Driving, and Robots... Experience Hyundai Motor Mobility Services at Incheon Airport

Hyundai Motor Company and Incheon Airport Corporation Sign Mutual Cooperation Agreement for Digital Innovation

Hyundai Motor Company will apply future mobility technologies such as hydrogen vehicles, robotics, Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), and autonomous driving at Incheon International Airport. This is to provide seamless freedom of movement to over 100 million passengers annually at Incheon International Airport, a global mega hub airport.

On the 6th, Hyundai Motor and Incheon International Airport Corporation announced that they signed a "Mutual Cooperation Agreement for Digital Transformation and Future Mobility Innovation at Incheon International Airport" at the airport terminal in Jung-gu, Incheon. Through this mutual cooperation, the two companies will convert commercial and special vehicles within the airport to eco-friendly mobility and expand hydrogen refueling infrastructure. They will also collaborate in various areas such as introducing smart airport logistics facilities using robotics technology, building an AAM ecosystem, and introducing autonomous mobility services.

When the fourth phase of Incheon International Airport’s construction project is completed by the end of this year, the airport’s passenger capacity will increase from the current 77 million to 106 million. Cargo handling capacity will also surge from 5 million tons to 6.3 million tons. This will elevate Incheon International Airport to a global mega hub airport with the world’s third-largest infrastructure.

At this juncture, Incheon International Airport plans to promote a "digital transformation" by adopting Hyundai Motor’s advanced mobility technologies. Hyundai Motor will also secure a "testbed" to showcase new technologies and gauge responses from over 100 million annual passengers.

View of the passenger terminal at Incheon International Airport.
Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Hyundai Motor and Incheon International Airport Corporation are already collaborating in various fields such as AAM, robotics, and autonomous driving. This agreement is expected to accelerate not only comprehensive cooperation in existing projects but also new collaborative ventures.

First, in the hydrogen business, Hyundai Motor supplied 12 hydrogen electric buses for airport shuttle buses by last year and will supply an additional 10 by the end of this year. In addition to the two hydrogen refueling stations operating near Terminals 1 and 2 at Incheon International Airport, the airport’s hydrogen refueling infrastructure will be expanded. The plan also includes converting the airport’s entire mobility fleet?comprising about 160 vehicles such as airport limousines, shuttle buses, and logistics forklifts and trucks?to hydrogen fuel cell systems.

New collaborative projects in the robotics field are also anticipated. The two companies will explore deploying intelligent robots developed by Boston Dynamics in various sectors such as airport security, logistics, and passenger services. In the autonomous driving sector, Hyundai Motor is preparing a pilot service for its "autonomous robo-shuttle" at Incheon Airport and will also jointly develop autonomous personal mobility to facilitate transportation for mobility-impaired passengers within the airport terminal.

In the AAM sector, Hyundai Motor and Incheon International Airport Corporation, along with Korean Air, KT, and Hyundai Construction, formed the "K-UAM One Team" consortium to commercialize urban air mobility (UAM) in Korea. They successfully completed the first phase of a demonstration project in April.

Jang Jae-hoon, President of Hyundai Motor, said, "Through this agreement, we will expand the mobility experience of Incheon International Airport users and ultimately support Incheon International Airport in becoming a hub airport where various smart mobility solutions converge."

Lee Hak-jae, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, emphasized, "By integrating Hyundai Motor’s excellent technology, we will accelerate the digital transformation of Incheon Airport and intensify efforts to build a future mobility ecosystem. We plan to transform the airport into a place people want to visit and a world-leading airport that drives future change beyond expectations."