Edinburgh Airport Drop-off Charges

Edinburgh Airport Drop-off Charges

Like most airports in the UK, Edinburgh operates a payment system for passenger drop-off and pick-up. The drop-off area is on the ground floor of the multi-storey car park right opposite the terminal building and the minimum charge is £4.00, which gives you 10 minutes, after which the fee increases. 

Exemptions are in place for Blue Badge holders, who can stay in the drop-off zone free of charge for up to one hour. There are also discounts for electric vehicles (EVs) and eligible residents – more on these below. 

All other vehicles must pay the drop-off fees as follows:

Drop-off fees – Edinburgh Airport

• up to 10 minutes: £4.00
• 10 – 15 minutes: £8.00
• 15 – 30 minutes: £15.00
• 30 – 60 minutes: £30.00
• 1 – 2 hours: £45.00

The maximum stay in the drop-off zone is two hours and the height restriction for the car park is 2.2m.

To reach the drop-off zone, simply follow the signs once you reach the airport. Edinburgh Airport is just five minutes off the M9 motorway and around 20 minutes from Edinburgh city centre. If you’re approaching from the direction of the A8 Glasgow Road, once you’ve turned into the airport, go straight along Eastfield Road and go straight at the roundabout next to the Moxy and DoubleTree by Hilton hotels. At the next roundabout, by the Hampton by Hilton hotel, go straight ahead too. Pass the terminal parking on your left to reach the entry barriers to the multi-storey car park, where you follow the signs to the drop-off area.

Once your passengers have gathered their luggage, they’ll have little more than a minute’s walk to the terminal entrance and check-in desks.

If you are paying the drop-off fee by contactless, you can drive straight to the exit and pay at the barrier. If you prefer to pay by non-contactless card or coins, then you need to use the pay station. There is a separate change machine to change notes into coins. 

Blue Badge exemptions

To receive an exemption to the drop-off fees, Blue Badge holders need to take their car park ticket to the customer services office, which is also on the ground floor of the multi-storey car park, to get it validated for exit. Blue Badge holders can stay in the drop-off zone free of charge for up to an hour; normal charges apply after this time.

Local Resident discount

If you live within the following postcodes, you can apply for a 50% resident discount:

• EH4 6 
• EH4 8
• EH12 0 
• EH12 9 
• EH28 1 
• EH29 1
• EH52 5

Applications must be made to residentsdiscount@edinburghairport.com and proof of address will be required.

EV Discount

Electric vehicles are entitled to a 50% discount on the first 10 minutes, which means they pay just £2.00. If you stay longer than 10 minutes, however, the normal tariff applies.

Free drop-off

The good news is that you don’t have to pay to drop off your friends and family at Edinburgh Airport! If your passengers are OK with a 10-minute walk – or thereabouts – then you can rock up to the long-stay car park and stay for free for up to half an hour. There is a designated safe walking route from the car park to the terminal entrance and the luggage trolleys are free too! The walkway starts at the north end of the car park, near the mid-stay car park.

The long-stay car park operates on a ticket basis and if you stay less than 30 minutes, then you will not be charged at the exit barrier. If you stay longer than 30 minutes, then the charges are as follows:

Long-stay car park tariff – Edinburgh Airport

• up to 30 minutes: FREE
• 30 – 60 minutes: £7.00
• 1 – 3 hours: £16.50
• 3 – 24 hours: £40.00
• 2 days: £75.00
• 3 days: £95.00
• 4 days: £120.00
• 7 days: £154.00

There are no height restrictions at the long-stay car park and there are designated parking bays for Blue Badge holders.

Arriving by taxi

Taxis can use the drop-off zone in the multi-storey car park in the same way as any other vehicle and the same charges apply. They can also use the long-stay car park free of charge for up to 30 minutes.

Picking up at Edinburgh Airport

The most convenient place to pick people up at Edinburgh Airport is the designated pick-up zone on the ground floor of the multi-storey car park, opposite the terminal. There is a minimum charge of £4.00, which gives you 10 minutes, and the maximum stay is two hours.

Pick-up fees – Edinburgh Airport

• up to 10 minutes: £4.00
• 10 – 15 minutes: £5.00
• 15 – 30 minutes: £9.00
• 30 – 60 minutes: £12.00
• 1 – 2 hours: £18.00

Note the height restriction for the car park is 2.2m.

Alternatively, you can use the long-stay car park for picking up passengers and take advantage of the free half hour. It’s about a 10-minute walk from the terminal; no shuttle bus option but the walkway is safe, and your passengers can grab a free luggage trolley before leaving the terminal if they need some wheels. If you stay in the car park longer than 30 minutes, the fees are as follows:

Long-stay car park tariff – Edinburgh Airport

• up to 30 minutes: FREE
• 30 – 60 minutes: £7.00
• 1 – 3 hours: £16.50
• 3 – 24 hours: £40.00
• 2 days: £75.00
• 3 days: £95.00
• 4 days: £120.00
• 7 days: £154.00

If you are flying into Edinburgh airport and have a taxi booked, simply head for the pick-up zone in the multi-storey car park, which taxis can use in the same way as other vehicles, with the same charges payable.

Parking at Edinburgh

Save your friends and family members a journey – and the fuel – by driving your own vehicle to the airport. If you can give yourself a little extra time you can take advantage of the great-value off-airport parking options, such as the APH Car Park, which is just a couple of minutes from the terminal by a shuttle bus that operates on demand. Alternatively try NCP Scotpark, which is a five-minute transfer on a shuttle bus that departs every 10 minutes, or Secure Airparks, which has an EV park-and-recharge option.

Getting to Edinburgh Airport – by road

Lying eight miles west of Edinburgh city centre, Edinburgh Airport is accessed from the A8 Glasgow Road. The M8 and M9 motorways are nearby, making it easy to reach from elsewhere too. Glasgow is just under 40 miles, via the M8; Perth is just over 40 miles via the M90 and Stirling is just under 30 miles, via the M9.

From the A8 you turn into Eastfield Road, which takes you past National Car Parks towards the Moxy Hotel on your left and the Doubletree by Hilton on your right. At the second roundabout continue straight on and the long-stay car park – for free drop-off and pick-up – will be on your right. If you are looking for the closest drop-off and pick-up point to the terminal, then go past the long-stay car park to enter the multi-storey at the end of the road.

Getting to Edinburgh Airport – by tram

Of course, you don’t have to drive to Edinburgh Airport at all, as there is an excellent tram service that runs from St Andrew Square, just off Princes Street, in the centre of Edinburgh. If you are arriving into Waverley station by train, the tram is an ideal connection on to the airport.

The tram route takes you along Princes Street to Haymarket, Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Park Central and Edinburgh Gateway all the way to the airport, with a few other local stops in between. The total journey time is around 35 minutes.

At the airport, the tram stops next to the arrivals and departures terminal and there’s a covered walkway to the airport building. 

If you are flying into Edinburgh, you can purchase tram tickets within the tram plaza, where you will also find onward travel information and a lounge. All Edinburgh Tram ticketing services assistants are ambassadors for the VisitScotland iKnow programme. 

Getting to Edinburgh Airport – by bus

The other option for getting to Edinburgh Airport from the city is the Airlink 100 bus, which departs from stops close to the bus/coach and railway stations and the high street. It runs every 15 minutes from 04:00 to 00:30, and every half hour between 01:00 and 04:00.

The bus stops at the airport are right in front of the terminal building, outside the domestic arrivals hall.

And that’s our wrap of drop-off charges at Edinburgh Airport – and how to avoid them. Note that things can change, including parking charges, so always double-check close to the time of travel. Bon, voyage!

Drop Off Zone FAQs