4.21.2025
Alpha Grill, an automated burger-cooking robot developed by Aniai, has been deployed at Burger Station by CJ Freshway, located on the 4th floor (ground level) of Gourmet Bridge in Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world.
The installation of a robotic hamburger grill in an airport kitchen marks a significant step in the expansion of cooking automation in high-traffic food service environments, as it is helping operators maintain fast service and consistent quality in peak-demand locations.
Airports are some of the most challenging environments for food service operators, requiring speed, precision, and reliability to handle fluctuating passenger traffic. Alpha Grill is designed to tackle these challenges by automating the patty-cooking process, from pressing and grilling to transferring the cooked patties, all in under one minute per patty. With the capacity to cook over 200 patties per hour, the system ensures that restaurants can keep up with demand while maintaining food quality.
“As one of the world’s busiest airports, Incheon International Airport requires food service solutions that can keep pace with travelers’ needs,” said Gunpil Hwang, CEO of Aniai. “Alpha Grill allows food operators to scale their operations efficiently, reducing dependency on manual labor while ensuring consistency in high-volume kitchens.”
The rise of travel in the U.S. presents a similar challenge for airport food service operators, particularly with increasing passenger traffic and longer wait times. U.S. airports collectively serve over 900 million passengers annually. As of 2024, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport remains the busiest in the world, handling 108.1 million passengers—just behind its 2019 record of 110 million. This represents a 3.3% increase from 2023. With significant growth in international traffic, projected to surpass 125 million passengers in the next five years, airports need innovative solutions to meet demand without compromising service quality.
Automation like Alpha Grill can help address key challenges in U.S. airports, especially as labor shortages and rising operational costs continue to impact the food service industry. Alpha Grill enables faster service, reduced wait times, and greater consistency—all while maintaining high hygiene and safety standards.
Unlike traditional, labor-intensive kitchens, Alpha Grill reduces dependency on manual labor and offers a solution to workforce shortages, helping to improve operational efficiency in high-traffic environments.
The Aniai Alpha Grill meets NSF/ANSI standards, with food-contact components passing safety tests. Its modular design ensures easy cleaning and compliance with strict sanitization rules, while UL certification guarantees safe use in high-traffic commercial kitchens—ideal for airports and beyond.
South Korea’s Incheon International Airport ranks among the world’s top airports, designed to handle over 100 million passengers annually, alongside U.S. giants like Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (110 million passengers) and global hubs like Tokyo International Airport (85 million passengers) and Dubai International (100 million passengers). As travel hubs continue to expand, automation is playing a crucial role in optimizing airport services, from security to dining.
