Coach and minibus charges at UK airports

The short answer

Every figure below is from the airport's own website, checked on 25 Oct 2026. Where an airport's pages contradict each other, we show both. How we checked.

At a glance: the 18 airports that publish coach or minibus rules

Tap an airport for its full rules and prices. Seat counts are the airport's own.

Minibus or coach? Every airport draws the line differently

There is no common definition, so the same vehicle can be a car at one airport and a coach at the next:

• Over 7 seats must use the Minibus/Van car park at Newcastle; coaches of 22 seats or more (its heading says more than 22) book access to the terminal front road.
• 8 seats or more should use the coach park at Edinburgh, by its coaches page; Gatwick treats every vehicle of over eight seats as a minibus or coach.
• Fewer than nine seats, or under 2.2m high, must pick up from Short Stay at Stansted, not the coach station.
• 12 seats or more goes to Car Park 2 at Glasgow Prestwick.
• Up to 16 seats is a minibus at Bristol and Manchester; above that it is a coach.
• Up to 19 seats can use the car Drop Off Zone at Luton; 20 or more with reversing cameras is a coach.

Airport by airport

London Heathrow

Dropping off: there are coach drop-off bays at each terminal. Heathrow's £7 Terminal Drop-Off Charge applies to every vehicle entering the drop-off areas, but carries a 100% discount, applied automatically, for vehicles the DVLA records as buses or coaches.

Picking up: Heathrow says coach drivers collecting before 06:00 can drive straight to the terminal without a permit. Otherwise coaches wait at the West Ramp Coach Park, then have a maximum of 20 minutes on a forecourt stand at the terminal. A forecourt permit costs £73.20 including VAT and is valid for one journey. Heathrow says operators without a permit may be refused access and turned away, and that without a pre-booked permit and forecourt slot you may be turned away if the site is full. The coach park takes cards only.

Minibuses: Heathrow publishes no minibus rule. Whether a minibus gets the discount depends on how the DVLA records it.

Source: London Heathrow's pages on drop-off charge and group travel by coach, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: London Heathrow.

London Gatwick

Gatwick treats every vehicle of over eight seats, minibus or coach, the same way.

Dropping off: use the ordinary passenger drop-off zones at the North or South Terminal, at the car price: £10 for 10 minutes, then £1 for each extra minute up to 20 minutes, with a £30 daily maximum and a 30-minute maximum stay. Gatwick's charge for not paying is £100, reduced to £60 within 14 days.

Picking up: vehicles of over eight seats must wait in the coach park on the South Terminal ring road and can leave it only once their passengers are waiting on the North or South Terminal forecourt. The roll-up price is £25.78 a visit, which includes the drop-off fee and up to three hours in the coach park. Staying longer than three hours costs £9 for up to 1 extra hour, £15 for 1 to 2 hours, £22 for 2 to 3 hours, £30 for 3 to 24 hours, then £30 for each 24 hours or part. Pre-book the Coach Park Permit online or buy it on arrival; cards only, no cash or cheques.

Source: London Gatwick's pages on coach and bus travel and drop-off FAQs, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: London Gatwick.

London Stansted

Coaches drop off free at bays 4 to 9 of the bus and coach station and pick up at bays 32 to 39, with a 20-minute maximum in either. Picking up costs £14.12 plus VAT per departure, which Stansted gives as £17 including VAT, or £312 for a book of 20 prepaid tickets (£260 plus VAT). Prepaid tickets can only be used by the operator named on them. Stansted says operators who don't follow its terms will be refused access to the coach station.

Minibuses: Stansted publishes no minibus rule as such. Any vehicle less than 2.2m high or with fewer than nine seats including the driver must pick up from the Short Stay car park unless Stansted authorises it.

Source: London Stansted's pages on group travel by coach, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: London Stansted.

London Luton

Minibuses: Luton's Drop Off Zone takes cars and minibuses of up to 19 seats: £9 for up to 12 minutes, then £1 a minute, with a 30-minute maximum stay. Pay online by midnight the following day. Staying past 30 minutes brings a £95 enforcement charge, reduced to £55 within 14 days.

Coaches: vehicles of 20 or more seats with reversing cameras use bay M in the bus bay area outside the terminal. Luton says private coaches drop off free, with a 10-minute maximum stay; its departing-coach page names the Coach Drop Off Lane in the Priority Set Down Area.

Picking up: every private hire coach collecting passengers needs a Pick Up Permit, which lets it wait in the Coach Layover Area in the Mid Stay car park for up to 4 hours; bay M can be used once the flight has landed. Buy a permit at the APCOA car parking office in Mid Stay, or pre-book on 01582 395479.

Source: London Luton's pages on private coaches, dropping off, departing by coach and arriving by coach, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: London Luton.

Manchester

Coaches above 16 seats need a £25 permit to use the yellow bus stops on Palma Avenue at Terminal 2, which Manchester says are for all coach drop-offs and pick-ups there, and bus stop C in the Terminal 3 controlled lane, which has room for two large vehicles. Manchester names its AIRDAT online system for buying the Terminal 3 permit; it doesn't say how to buy one for Terminal 2. Manchester says picking up on its road system is prohibited and enforced under a Traffic Regulation Order.

Minibuses of up to 16 seats can pick up from the over-height parking at Terminals 2 and 3. Manchester says relevant charges apply but doesn't give them on its coach operators' page.

Source: Manchester's pages on information for coach operators, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: Manchester.

Birmingham

Comet Road is the coach set-down road at the front of the terminal: £22 for each access, for immediate drop-off and collection only, with no waiting. It is strictly for coach operators and not available to minibuses. Book online in advance.

The airport's own coach park (run by NCP) is a 3-minute walk from the terminal, postcode B26 3QJ: £8 for up to 30 minutes, £16 for up to an hour, then £8 an hour. It is pay on arrival and can't be booked.

Minibuses: Birmingham publishes no minibus rule beyond the Comet Road exclusion.

Source: Birmingham's pages on Comet Road coach access, coach parking and by bus or coach, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: Birmingham.

Edinburgh

The coach park is south of the multi-storey car park; passengers cross to the terminal at the crossing point at stand 10. It costs £9 for up to 10 minutes, £13 for 10 to 20 minutes, £20 for 20 to 30 minutes, £30 for 30 to 45 minutes, £35 for 45 to 60 minutes, then £40 an hour or part of one. The coaches page doesn't say how to pay.

Source: Edinburgh's pages on coaches and drop-off and pick-up, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: Edinburgh.

Bristol

Minibuses of up to 16 seats, and vehicles over 2.5m, use the Minibus/Over Height car park, a few minutes' walk from the terminal: £9.50 for up to 5 minutes, £11.50 for 5 to 20 minutes, £14 for 20 to 40 minutes and £30 for 40 to 60 minutes, with a one-hour maximum stay. Pay at the barrier on the way out.

Coaches of more than 16 seats use the Bus & Coach Park (follow the signs for Bus and Coach), entering and leaving the airport via the A38 / North Side Road roundabout. A pre-booked slot costs £20 including VAT; the booking asks for the vehicle registration, company, flight number and collection time. Without one, if a bay is free, it is £30 for 30 minutes, paid on entry. Bristol says operators who don't buy a permit in advance may be turned away. The maximum stay is 30 minutes, with no layover, and the coach park is cashless.

Source: Bristol's pages on minibus and over-height parking, group travel by coach or minibus, coach park and parking prices, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: Bristol.

Aberdeen

Aberdeen publishes a separate coach and bus tariff: £10 for 20 minutes, £18 for an hour, £22 for 90 minutes and £45 for up to 4 hours, card payments only. It doesn't name where coaches stop beyond a map label for the charged drop-off area, and doesn't mention minibuses.

Source: Aberdeen's pages on dropping off and other buses and coaches, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: Aberdeen.

Leeds Bradford

Leeds Bradford prices its Pick Up & Drop Off car park by vehicle, and gives minibuses, coaches and other large vehicles a dedicated lane. Minibuses, coaches and larger vehicles of 9 seats or fewer pay £15 for up to 10 minutes, £17 for 10 to 20 minutes, £20 for 20 to 30 minutes and £24 for 30 to 60 minutes, then £24 for each extra hour. With 10 seats or more it's £18, £20, £23 and £28, then £28 an hour. Cars pay £8 for up to 10 minutes.

The car park is ticketless: cameras record entry and exit times, and you pay by credit or debit card, including Apple Pay, as you leave. The car lanes have a 1.9m height limit, so taller vehicles use the left-hand bus and coach lane. Don't drop off or pick up on the roads around the airport: vehicles doing so may receive a parking charge notice.

Source: Leeds Bradford's pages on parking FAQs and Pick Up & Drop Off car park, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: Leeds Bradford.

Newcastle

The Express drop-off takes vehicles with a maximum of 7 seats. Minibuses, vans and any vehicle with more than 7 seats use the Minibus/Van car park in front of the terminal, next to the Express car park, which has a 2.9m height limit: £7 for up to 15 minutes, £13 for up to 30 minutes, £22 for an hour, £26 for 2 hours, £30 for 3 hours, £34 for 4 hours and £60 for 24 hours. The Airport Waiting Zone at Callerton Parkway gives up to 90 minutes free for taxis, minibuses and public vehicles.

Coaches use the terminal front road, which is controlled by number-plate cameras: access costs £19.99 per vehicle and booking, and must be booked at least 24 hours ahead. Bookings can't be changed, and refunds are at the airport's discretion with a £5 admin fee. The car parks team is on 0191 214 4341.

Source: Newcastle's pages on car parking options, picking up and dropping off and controlled areas, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: Newcastle.

Southampton

Southampton's information for bus operators gives £10 for up to 20 minutes, £18 for up to an hour, £30 for up to 90 minutes and £60 for up to 4 hours, paid through a Pay With Your Plates account that operators register online. It doesn't define which vehicles count, say where they stop or mention minibuses.

Stopping outside the Short Stay and Long Stay car parks to drop off or pick up brings an £80 enforcement charge, reduced to £50 within 14 days.

Source: Southampton's pages on pick-up and drop-off and by bus, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: Southampton.

Glasgow Prestwick

All coaches, minibuses of 12 or more seats, limousines and minibuses with trailers must drop off and pick up in Car Park 2; the coach park is on its upper level, on the left near the exit barriers. Car Park 1, the car drop-off, has a 2.2m height limit and no coach or commercial vehicle access.

Prestwick's table for minibuses and commercial vehicles shows £30 if you turn up and £15 if you book. Bookings must be made a day in advance, with a 2-hour maximum stay. Payment is by card or contactless.

Source: Glasgow Prestwick's pages on parking, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: Glasgow Prestwick.

Inverness

Coaches park via the restricted access lane at the front of the terminal, for under two hours, at £10 a coach. Pay in advance through the information desk on 01667 464000, or on site.

Minibuses can't use the restricted access lane but can use any of the car parks, at the ordinary charges; there are no height restrictions.

Source: Inverness's pages on airport information, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: Inverness.

Glasgow

All coaches and buses drop off in Zone C of the Pick Up and Drop Off area, which is uncovered, has no height restriction and is where coach drivers collect passengers too. Glasgow publishes no coach tariff, and its general drop-off price table doesn't say whether it applies to Zone C.

For minibuses, Glasgow's FAQs point to the Car Park 1 surface car park, which takes any height of vehicle and which it calls ideal for picking up and dropping off with vans and minibuses.

Source: Glasgow's pages on pick-up and drop-off and car parking FAQs, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: Glasgow.

East Midlands

East Midlands says private hire coaches have a dedicated bay for dropping off and picking up, but doesn't say where it is. It says they need to be booked in by contacting the airport, and publishes no price. It doesn't mention minibuses.

Source: East Midlands's pages on by coach, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: East Midlands.

London Southend

Southend publishes nothing for coaches. Any vehicle over 2.0m tall or 5.0m long must use the Budget car park: £12 for up to 30 minutes, £25 for 30 to 60 minutes, £35 for 1 to 2 hours, £50 for 2 to 24 hours.

Source: London Southend's pages on pick-up and drop-off, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: London Southend.

Norwich

Oversized vehicles, including coaches, need approval: email the airport's security team, at the address on its car parking page, at least 24 hours before arriving, with the driver's name, the vehicle registration, the expected arrival time and the reason. Norwich publishes no coach price. Its car parks have no height restriction, drop-off is only allowed in the designated area of Car Park 1, and it says it may charge for the extra space if a large vehicle blocks other bays.

Source: Norwich's pages on car parking, checked 25 Oct 2026. Car drop-off charges: Norwich.

Airports that publish nothing for coaches or minibuses

Belfast City, Bournemouth, Cornwall Newquay, Exeter, Teesside and City of Derry publish no coach or minibus charges or rules that we could find on their own websites. Ask the airport before the trip. At Bournemouth and Exeter: no height limits; vehicles must fit a 2.4m by 4.8m space, and the airport may charge for extra space. At City of Derry: no height limits, but vehicles longer or wider than one standard space should contact the airport before booking.

We couldn't read the coach information on the websites of London City, Liverpool John Lennon, Belfast International, Cardiff Wales and Humberside when we checked, so we don't cover them here yet. Their car drop-off charges are on each airport's page.

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