- Edinburgh Airport has increased drop-off fees to £8.50 for the first 10 minutes starting May 2026.
- The fee hike responds to a 142% surge in business rates totaling over £12 million annually.
- Discounts remain for local residents and electric vehicles, while a free 30-minute option exists further away.
(EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND) — Edinburgh Airport increased its drop-off and pick-up charge to £8.50 for the first 10 minutes in May 2026, raising the fee by £2.50 from the previous £6.
The new price applies in the charged zone on the ground floor of the multi-storey car park opposite the terminal. After the first 10 minutes, motorists pay £1 for each additional minute.
Cars can stay for a maximum of 2 hours, and the area has a 2.2m height restriction. The system is cashless, with payment accepted by credit and debit cards, contactless, Apple Pay or Google Pay at pay stations or exit barriers.
Edinburgh Airport said it raised the drop-off fees to help cover a sharp increase in business rates. Its business rates bill rose by 142%, from £5 million in 2025-26 to over £12 million in 2026-27.
The airport’s rateable value moved from £9.5 million to £23 million. That figure was lower than a proposed £37.5 million, but still far above the previous valuation.
Gordon Dewar, CEO of Edinburgh Airport, said: “This is a cost we cannot absorb; it must be accounted for, resulting in unavoidable trade-offs,” including higher passenger charges.
Dewar contacted Tom Conn, chair of the Lothian Valuation Joint Board, John Swinney, Scottish First Minister, and Ivan McKee, Minister for Public Finance. He warned that the higher business rates bill would affect airline investment decisions as well as charges paid by passengers.
The airport left several discounts and exemptions in place. Blue Badge holders can use the area free for up to 1 hour.
Residents in postcodes EH4 6, EH4 8, EH12 0, EH12 9, EH28, EH29 and EH52 5 can get a 50% discount. That reduces the first 10-minute charge to £4.25, though the airport requires them to apply in advance through its support page.
Electric vehicles also qualify for a 50% reduction to £4.25 for the first 10 minutes. Drivers must validate that discount by pressing the intercom button.
Motorists who want to avoid the charged forecourt can use the Long Stay car park. It sits about a 10-minute walk from the terminal and has no shuttle service.
The Long Stay option is free for 0-30 minutes. Charges then rise to £14 for 30-60 min, £22 for 1-3 hours, £60 for 3-24 hours, and £40 for each additional day.
Those prices apply 24/7. The airport does not impose peak-time surcharges.
Access to the drop-off and pick-up area starts from the A8, also known as Glasgow Road, by following signs for Eastfield Road. At the roundabout near Moxy and DoubleTree by Hilton, drivers take the second exit, then the first exit at the next roundabout, passing the EDI control tower.
The higher price places Edinburgh Airport above Scotland’s other large airports on the same measure. Glasgow and Aberdeen charge £7 for 15 minutes.
Across the UK, Gatwick charges £10, while Bristol charges £8.50. On that comparison, Edinburgh Airport now matches Bristol and sits below Gatwick, while exceeding Glasgow and Aberdeen.
The rise leaves Edinburgh Airport’s drop-off fees among the highest in the country at a time when the airport says business rates are forcing wider cost decisions. Dewar tied those pressures to passenger charges and future investment, framing the increase as part of the airport’s response to a tax bill that climbed by more than £7 million in a year.
Passengers and drivers using the forecourt now face a sharper price difference between quick terminal access and the free Long Stay option. The airport’s message was blunt in Dewar’s words: “This is a cost we cannot absorb; it must be accounted for, resulting in unavoidable trade-offs,” including higher passenger charges.
