The Edinburgh drop-off charge in detail
£8.50 for up to 10 minutes.
If you overstay: £1 per minute beyond 10 minutes.
Where to drop off at Edinburgh
The charged Pickup & Dropoff zone is on the ground floor of the terminal multi-storey, directly at the terminal — follow the Pickup & Dropoff signs on the approach.
What the Edinburgh drop-off is actually like
Edinburgh's charged express zone is on the ground floor of the multi-storey directly at the terminal, while the free 30-minute zone sits over in the Long Stay car park — there's no shuttle bus, just a signposted walking route of about 10 minutes from the north end of the car park.
Source: the airport's own directions page.
How and when to pay the Edinburgh drop-off charge
How: Card at the barrier machines on exit — Edinburgh's car parks went fully cashless in July 2025.
When: pay at the barrier machines as you leave. You pay before you leave, so there's no deadline to miss — overstays simply climb the tariff at £1 per minute after the first 10.
Pay by card at the machines at the exit barrier — no cash, and nothing to settle online afterwards.
Exemptions: Vehicles carrying a Blue Badge holder get free access to the car parks for one hour — press the intercom at the exit barrier and quote your 16-character code.
Free drop-off alternative at Edinburgh
Long Stay free zone — 30 minutes free in the Long Stay car park — no shuttle bus, a signposted 10-minute walk to the terminal. Allow 15–25 extra minutes versus the barrier.
Every airport's free alternative is in the free drop-off guide — or scan the full comparison table.
Pick-up charges at Edinburgh Airport: where to collect and what it costs
The same zone is signed for pick-ups and drop-offs at the same £8.50 tariff. For a free collection, Edinburgh's own alternative is the Long Stay: 30 minutes free, then £14 up to an hour, with a signposted 10-minute walk to the terminal — there's no shuttle.
How pick-up charging works across the UK: pick-up charges at every airport · the quick comparison.
Getting to the Edinburgh drop-off
Edinburgh Airport terminal. Follow the drop-off signs on site — the zone can sit a short walk from the doors.
© OpenStreetMap contributors · Get directions →
By tram — an Edinburgh Trams stop sits right outside the terminal (a tram, not heavy rail), running to the city centre and connecting to mainline trains at Edinburgh Gateway.source
Being dropped off isn't the cheap option.
You'll pay Edinburgh's £8.50 twice — once out, once back.
That's £17 in barrier fees before anyone counts the fuel and the two airport runs. Flying yourself? Pre-book parking instead and the car's waiting when you land — even off the 1am arrival.
Pre-book Edinburgh parking →Compare: Airparks · YourParkingSpace
Just dropping someone off? Long Stay free zone is the free option here — details above.
Driving yourself? Edinburgh Airport parking: every car park and price.
Some parking links are affiliate links — we may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It never affects our charges data.
Edinburgh drop-off & pick-up FAQs
How much is the drop-off charge at Edinburgh Airport?
Edinburgh Airport charges £8.50 for up to 10 minutes at the drop-off area closest to the terminal. If you overstay: £1 per minute beyond 10 minutes.
Is there a free drop-off at Edinburgh Airport?
Yes. Edinburgh keeps a free or cheaper option — Long Stay free zone: 30 minutes free in the Long Stay car park — no shuttle bus, a signposted 10-minute walk to the terminal. Allow 15–25 extra minutes.
How do I pay the Edinburgh Airport drop-off charge?
Card at the barrier machines on exit — Edinburgh's car parks went fully cashless in July 2025. You pay before you leave, so there's no deadline to miss — overstays simply climb the tariff at £1 per minute after the first 10.
Do you pay the Edinburgh drop-off charge before you leave?
Yes — Pay by card at the machines at the exit barrier — no cash, and nothing to settle online afterwards.
Is the Edinburgh drop-off charge free for Blue Badge holders?
Vehicles carrying a Blue Badge holder get free access to the car parks for one hour — press the intercom at the exit barrier and quote your 16-character code.
Is there a pick-up charge at Edinburgh Airport, and where do you collect?
The same zone is signed for pick-ups and drop-offs at the same £8.50 tariff. For a free collection, Edinburgh's own alternative is the Long Stay: 30 minutes free, then £14 up to an hour, with a signposted 10-minute walk to the terminal — there's no shuttle.
Has the Edinburgh Airport drop-off charge gone up?
Yes. It rose from £5 in 2024 to £8.50, an increase of about 70%.
Did you know?
Edinburgh Airport is older than the Royal Air Force itself — it opened in 1916 as Turnhouse Aerodrome, a First World War military airfield, two years before the RAF was founded.
Source: corporate.edinburghairport.com
Drop-off charges at airports near Edinburgh
Method & corrections
Every figure on this page is checked against the airport's own published charges and stamped with the date we checked it. We re-verify the full dataset quarterly, and after any reported change — see how we work and who maintains it.
Spotted an error? Email hello@airportdropoffcharges.co.uk — corrections are made visibly and dated. The dataset behind this page is free to reuse with attribution: JSON · CSV (CC BY 4.0).