1 hour ago
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EPA
Cheaper or free parking is available at car parks further away from the terminal
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.
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.
The pickup and drop-off zone at Edinburgh Airport does not inform drivers about fees on their approach
He said: "This decision to impose an unplanned and wholly disproportionate £8 million 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."
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."
The Scottish Government has been approached for comment.
