Airports are charging cheaper rates for parking a small aeroplane than for parking a car, says a recent study.
The study, conducted on the UK’s 10 airports, shows that while parking a car for a day can work out to be expensive, it is cheaper to park a small aircraft for the same amount of time.
While London Heathrow Airport is the most expensive for parking a car, with a charge of GBP51.80 for 24 hours parking in the short-stay car park, an equivalent stay in the long-stay car park will cost GBP17.90 with advance booking. Manchester Airport charges GBP35 for a 24-hours parking at its short-stay car park, but it only charges GBP21 for the same period for parking a six-seat light aircraft.
John Lennon Airport in Liverpool charges GBP10.72 for parking a light aircraft, against GBP39.99 for a car park slot for the same time period. At Birmingham, it is GBP22.50 for a car and GBP10.80 for a plane, and at Bristol Airport it is GBP25 for a car and GBP17 for a plane.
Edinburgh Airport charges GBP23.50 to park a car for 24 hours, while the cost for parking a plane is GBP11.90 for the same amount of time. Glasgow Airport charges GBP21 for a car parking for 24 hours, while the cost for parking a plane is GBP11.52 for the same time period.
The only airport to buck the trend was Luton, where it is GBP36 to park a car and GBP38.88 to park a plane.
Russell Craig, the head of communications, at Manchester Airport, said, ‘Years ago airports made all their money from the planes. Now at Manchester, aviation income makes up less than half of our revenues. To be able to keep investing, you’ve got to find new revenue streams and some of that is car parking. But pre-booking is the way to save money. The turn-up prices are what they are.’
