Airport scraps drop-off zone barriers for cameras

One of the UK's busiest airports is set to replace its vehicle barriers at pick-up and drop-off areas with ANPR cameras in a bid to cut congestion.

Drivers using these zones at Manchester Airport will instead be required to pay charges online or over the phone by midnight the next day after their vehicle number plates get automatically scanned.

Sue West from Manchester Airport said the move would "speed up the process and make it feel seamless".

Charges will not be increased as part of the switch, which is set to be introduced in stages at the end of next month.

Those who miss the deadline to pay under the new system will face a £60 penalty, which could rise to £100 if the sum is not paid within 14 days.

The current charges for drop-off zones in place at each of the airport's three terminals are £5 for a five-minute stay, £6.20 for 10 minutes, and a £25.00 overstay charge.

Meanwhile fees at pick-up zones range from £6.20 to £8.00 for stays of up to 30 minutes.

The airport said the new system would improve traffic flow around the terminals by removing the need to stop and pay at barriers when exiting these zones.

New signs will be put in place to remind drivers of the change, it said, adding that taxi drivers and other frequent users would be able to set up accounts that automatically pay the charge.

Ms West said the system would be introduced "in a phased approach over the last weeks of March and the start of April – exact dates will be communicated in the coming weeks".

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