Manchester Airport is introducing charges for drivers dropping passengers off at all three terminals.
The new arrangements will go live in early June in order to alleviate the congestion which has been developing in recent years because of the high volume of "kiss and fly" and also because of recirculation. At peak times, one in five cars hits the forecourts at least twice.
From June, drivers will be charged an express drop-off fee of £3 for staying up to five minutes or £4 for six to ten minutes.
Manchester Airport is introducing a new dedicated drop-off site, which will be part of Jet Parks 1 (see map above), from where a free shuttle service will operate to all three terminals.
There will be no change to arrangements for picking passengers up, it will remain £4 for 30 minutes in the multi-storey car park.
Additionally a scheme for people working on site, who aren't provided with a car parking space, will give them free access and there will be a discount scheme for taxis who are regular users of Manchester Airport.
Tricia Williams, Chief Operating Officer for Manchester Airport, said: "Manchester Airport has seen a significant increase in passenger volumes over the past five years and is making a major investment in driving further growth and improvements to the customer experience.
"As passenger numbers have grown, we have increasingly experienced major congestion problems on our terminal forecourts, exacerbated by a high percentage of visitors repeatedly recirculating at peak times.
"This is despite efforts in recent years to increase capacity as much as possible in these highly constrained parts of our site.
"It is clear as we continue to grow that we need to take a more proactive approach to managing this congestion, which has a knock-on effect on the wider airport estate and a significant impact on our operations and customer service levels.
"The simple fact is our forecourts were not designed to handle the number of vehicles they do today and do not have the capacity to cope with any further growth in the number of people being dropped-off immediately outside our terminals.
"That is why we are investing in a dedicated drop-off site, from where a free shuttle service will operate to all three terminals. It is hoped this will contribute to a major reduction in the number of individual vehicles trying to access the most congested parts of our campus.
"In parallel, an Express Drop-off charge will be introduced in the areas directly outside our three terminals and Ground Transport Interchange, similar to those introduced at most UK airports in recent years.
"We have been working with our Passenger User Group on these plans in recent months, as well as engaging with a wide range of stakeholders in the community and wider region. This has enabled us to respond to their concerns and feedback wherever possible.
"As part of our efforts to reduce on-site congestion, we are also creating a brand new Public Transport Development Fund, overseen by newly-formed body made up of representatives from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Cheshire East Council and Transport for Greater Manchester.
"It will work to identify and support initiatives that will improve access to Manchester Airport for passengers and colleagues."
Comments
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Just wait until they paint double RED lines on every road ,alley and nook and cranny within a mile radius of the airport patrolled by photo vans copping you should you stop or hesitate
for a microsecond. You then get a big fat fine by post.