Edinburgh Airport's drop-off charges to double from today

Drivers entering the drop-off zone at Edinburgh Airport today will need to ensure they bring enough cash, with prices set to double.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Nov 2018, 06:51 BST
Updated 8th Nov 2018, 07:58 BST

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The controversial price hike will see drivers forking out £2 for five minutes and £4 for up to ten minutes – a rise of £1 – while parking for up to 20 minutes will double from £5 to £10

Airport bosses are bringing in the charges in a bid to ease congestion in the area and encourage more people to use public transport. They say it will bring in £1 million each year and cut the number of cars using the access road by 480,000. 

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Drivers facing drop-off price hike at Edinburgh Airport
The new drop off zone at Edinburgh Airport. TS NewsThe new drop off zone at Edinburgh Airport. TS News
The new drop off zone at Edinburgh Airport. TS News
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Motorists can only access the airport along Eastfield Road, which is already operating at capacity with forecasters estimating that the road will be at 121 per cent capacity by next summer.

But taxi driver chiefs say the amount of money taken from them is “obscene,” with between 600 and 700 drop-offs at the airport a day, and that a price rise will cost drivers “hundreds of thousands of pounds” a year. 

Edinburgh Western MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton said that the charges would also directly affect constituents who do not have a direct public transport link to the airport, such as those in Cramond and South Queensferry. 

Edinburgh Airport contentiously began charging for every car and taxi to drop passengers off outside the terminal in 2010.

Meanwhile drivers at Glasgow Airport face charges of £2 for up to ten minutes, £4 for 15 minutes and £10 for 20 minutes. 

The revenue will go towards the £10 million project to build a second access route to the airport, possibly from Gogar. Plans are set to be discussed at December’s city council housing and economy committee.

Edinburgh Airport Chief Executive, Gordon Dewar, said that the new access road will go a long way towards easing the current congestion problems faced by passengers, and to make existing infrastructure fit for purpose.

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Related topics:DriversEdinburgh AirportAlex Cole-HamiltonMotoristsEdinburgh Western