Edinburgh Airport raises drop-off fees from £6 to £8.50

Edinburgh Airport is to increase drop-off fees by £2.50 to £8.50 from next week, it has announced.

Airport bosses said the rise in the tariff for a 10-minute stay at the dedicated drop-off and pick-up zone right outside the main terminal building was "unavoidable".

They said they had to find ways of raising more income after an "unacceptable" £8m increase in the firm's business rates bill.

The new prices will be charged from 18 May, and the airport will also scrap a 50% reduction for electric vehicles.

Chief executive Gordan Dewar said: "Like many across the hospitality and tourism sectors who have seen business rates soar, we have no choice but to pass part of this cost on to passengers."

A free drop-off and pick-up area - about a 10-minute walk away and limited to a 30-minute stay - will remain in place at the long stay car park, with more spaces added.

Currently, Edinburgh Airport's drop-off fee is £6 while the short-stay terminal car park costs £7 for up to 15 minutes wait time and £14 for 30 minutes.

Other short-stay car parks further from the terminal typically cost between £7 and £10, significantly increasing in cost beyond an hour.

Last year BBC Scotland News reported on how drivers were parking up in laybys near the airport in an attempt to avoid parking fees.

The latest drop-off fee hike follows a 142% rise in the Edinburgh Airport business rates which Dewar claims is the largest increase in costs faced by any airport in Scotland and the UK.

He said: "This decision to impose an unplanned and wholly disproportionate £8m rates increase has an immediate and negative impact on our business.

"We made this clear in correspondence with the Lothians assessor, who set the increase, and in discussions with the Scottish government, which has endorsed it.

"In practical terms, it equates to funding around 200 jobs, two aircraft stands, or five new security lanes.

"It is not a cost that can be absorbed; it must be covered, and trade-offs like this are unfortunately unavoidable."

At Bristol and Gatwick the drop off fee is also £8.50. At Glasgow and Aberdeen Airport the drop off fee is £7.

Edinburgh Airport has written to the convener of the Lothian Valuation Joint Board, which sets non-domestic rates, as well as the first minister and the public finance minister, to outline its concerns about the current rates process.

Dewar added: "We have always accepted that, given our size, we should pay more, but the scale of this increase is simply unacceptable."

A Scottish government spokesperson said: "The valuation of all non-domestic property is a matter for the Scottish Assessors who are independent of central and local government.

"The Scottish Government estimates Edinburgh Airport will, with Transitional Relief, have a net non-domestic rates bill of around £8.m for 2026-27, compared to £5.4m before revaluation.

"The Scottish government's Revaluation Transitional Relief protects those most affected at revaluation - including airports - and will cap increases in gross liabilities up to the next revaluation in 2029."

BBC Scotland spoke to several drivers waiting outside the airport to gauge opinion on the increase.

Dylan Howat from Glasgow said: "£8.50 is ridiculous, the airport is big enough to allow people into the short-term parking to pick people up.

"A big issue we have is flights are never running on time so you have no idea wherever you will be waiting five minutes or half an hour.

"And coming from Glasgow, it isn't just a 10-minute journey down the road, so you need to make sure timing lines up.

"Everything is going up in price, I understand they have a budget but with the amount of cars that come and go through Edinburgh Airport there is no way it's not about making money."

Lisa Hiddleston who was waiting to pick up her son and husband said: "We are not willing to pay the charge, it's overpriced and if there are delays, the cost then snowballs."

"£6 to £8.50 is a massive increase - it is ridiculous. I have no sympathy for the airport, the cost of living has gone up for everybody."

Neil Anderson, who was waiting with his wife for relatives, said: "It's ridiculous, they should have a better drop off system. Its crazy, they are just exploiting it now."