Thirty-minute free parking will continue at Marlborough Airport, but charges for the short-term car park are changing.

Marlborough Airport’s short-term car park is set to re-open next week, with improvements to pedestrian safety, traffic flow, drainage, paving and the addition of an outdoor seating area. Contractors will continue works this month at the front of the terminal to widen the pedestrian footpaths.

Airport visitors should be using the re-opened short-term car park for pick-ups and drop offs when entering the terminal. The two-minute drop off area is not for parking or leaving your vehicle unattended, says Marlborough Airport Chief Executive Dean Heiford.

“Half an hour of free parking allows ample time for passenger pick-up and drop off, and grabbing a coffee inside the terminal,” he said. “There will be a new designated area inside the re-opened car park for picking up and dropping off passengers that’s close to the entrance. This frees up the two-minute areas outside the main terminal building,” he says.

While both long- and short-term car parks will continue to offer 30 minutes free parking for airport users, the short-term car park will re-open with new parking tariffs (see table below).

Long-term parking rates remain unchanged, Mr Heiford says, except that the second hour’s charges begin after 90 minutes instead of 60 minutes. “Previously, if you stayed for 61 minutes, you’d be charged for two full hours. Now, you’re only charged for one hour, until the 90-minute mark.”

The change in fees for the short-term car park is to ensure that traffic keeps moving for pick-ups and drop offs, as well as provide more choices for airport users, Mr Heiford says.

“For airport users who want to stay longer, it offers greater convenience. It’s priced at a premium that aligns with other regional airports,” he says.

The new car parking tariffs reflect market rates at other domestic airports in New Zealand and help to fund the airport’s infrastructure.

*Previously, this charge was 30 to 60 minutes, with a new full hour charged after 60 minutes

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