Motorists charged for picking up loved ones at leading airport

Millions of motorists are to be charged for picking up their friends and relatives from one of Britain's largest airports.

Drivers collecting loved ones from Manchester can park free-of-charge for 10 minutes outside the terminals as they load suitcases into their cars.

But within a few months, all motorists picking up passengers will be forced to pay at least £1.80, even if they are only at the airport for one minute.

A spokesman for the airport, which handles 22.5 million visitors a year, said the decision to charge was for 'safety and security' reasons.

He said this would also reduce the impact on the environment by encouraging travellers to use public transport.

The airport, owned by The Manchester Airports Group, made £35 million in parking charges last year alone.

It will make another £900,000 from parking when the changes come in force.

From November, people collecting passengers on flights using Terminal 1 will be directed into the short-stay car park, and will no longer be able to collect from outside the terminal building.

The new system will be implemented at Terminal 3 in December and Terminal 2 in January 2007. The charges will not apply to taxis or mini-cabs.

Bosses at the airport said they have no plans yet to charge people for dropping-off passengers.

Andy Cliffe, car parks commercial director at Manchester Airport, said: "There are restrictions that prevent people from waiting outside the terminal buildings.

"For safety and security reasons we have decided to enforce these procedures more rigorously to improve traffic flow and reduce the chance of road accidents."

A spokesman for the airport said he did not know of any accidents that had actually occurred at the airport involving passenger pick-ups.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport provides 10 minutes' free parking for passenger pick-ups.