Drone-rover inspection system cuts exterior check time from 8-10 hours to 50 minutes

Korean Air's booth at the 2026 Korea Land and Transport Technology Exhibition. [Korean Air]
Korean Air's booth at the 2026 Korea Land and Transport Technology Exhibition. [Korean Air]

Korean Air said Wednesday it is participating in the 2026 Korea Land and Transport Technology Exhibition at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, through Friday, showcasing AI-based maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) technology and future aviation mobility solutions.

The exhibition is South Korea's flagship land and transport technology showcase, hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and organized by the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement. This year's event, themed "Technology That Changes the Future," draws participation from 81 institutions and companies.

Korean Air is displaying an inspection drone and rover for aircraft exterior checks, a simulator for training maintenance technicians, and an inspection station at the exhibition.

The centerpiece of its showcase is an AI-based robotic aircraft inspection system in which an airborne drone and a ground-level rover work in tandem. The system replaces the conventional visual inspection method carried out by maintenance technicians with a multi-unit swarm operation driven by AI analysis.

According to Korean Air, the system can cut the exterior inspection time for large commercial aircraft from 8 to 10 hours down to about 50 minutes. It also reduces the burden of high-altitude work on technicians while enabling AI to analyze collected data and detect defects as small as 1 millimeter. Visitors to the booth can also try out an AI chatbot designed to assist maintenance operations.

Korean Air is also presenting its future unmanned aerial vehicle technology. The AI Pilot autonomous mission system on display applies AI to a range of UAV platforms currently under development, including a low-observable unmanned wingman and a subsonic target drone. The system allows UAVs to assess situations independently, cooperate with one another, and carry out missions autonomously in swarm formation.

In the urban air mobility (UAM) sector, Korean Air is jointly exhibiting an integrated traffic management solution called ACROSS with the National Strategic Technology Program. ACROSS is an integrated control solution developed in-house by Korean Air to safely and efficiently manage future aviation mobility, including UAM operations.

"Through this exhibition, we are presenting a broad range of future technologies spanning not only AI-based MRO but also unmanned aerial vehicles and UAM," a Korean Air official said. "We will contribute to innovation in the aerospace industry and the creation of a healthy ecosystem through advanced technology development and collaboration with our partners."

Meanwhile, Korean Air has set a target to grow its aircraft engine maintenance business — identified as a key driver of sustainable growth — from this year's 1.3 trillion won ($847 million) in engine MRO sales to more than 5 trillion won by 2030, with annual maintenance volume increasing more than fivefold.


eyre@heraldcorp.com