Malaga airport roadworks bring passenger drop-off confusion

2017-03-03 08:00:00

As of last week drivers arriving at Malaga Airport to drop off passengers have been redirected to the short-term car park as work begins on expanding and improving roads around the new terminal.

The system is designed to prevent drivers from stopping in the terminal’s entrance zone . Drivers now have a choice between parking in the ‘express parking’ for 15 free minutes, or opting for the long-stay car park where they will have to pay the full-stay rate.

The new, supposedly temporary scheme has already received criticism from drivers who have parked in the ‘express parking’ but have been charged 1.79 euros, the cost of 16 minutes parking, because they have stayed just one minute over the 15 minute slot. However, the airport authority (Aena) maintains that 15 minutes is enough time to park, unload suitcases and say goodbye.

 
The removal of the ‘drop off’ zone will also affect car rental companies based off-site and minibus drivers, who will also be forced to use the ‘express parking’ with their clients.

Félix Pinar, president of the Asociación Empresarial de Coches de Alquiler (Aeca), has criticised the inflexible stance of the airport, citing the availability of other solutions to the problem. He also said that the costs to the car rental companies would rise significantly if they had to pay to park at the airport, forcing smaller businesses into bankruptcy.

In his opinion, 15 minutes is not long enough to deliver a car and that the 300 spaces in the express parking are not enough.

“The airport system is going to collapse and it will be the tourist that will be stuck in the resulting bottleneck,” he added.

Aeca and the other car rental association, Aesva (Asociación de Empresarios Servicio Vehiculos de Alquiler), have held urgent talks to confirm a strategy with which “to do battle”. They are proposing to move to terminal 1, presently unused.

“But they will not listen to us and we are becoming very frustrated. Many of us are private companies who are going to disappear if we are not given space to operate”, explained Ana María García, president of Aesva.

Aena has stated that these changes to the airport parking are “urgent” and necessary to improve the flow of vehicles while construction work is taking place and will prevent passengers being at risk of missing their flight.source surinenglish