The Express Drop-off
The Express Drop-off is on the upper forecourt outside the terminal, charged by the minute after the first 15.
| Stay | Charge |
|---|---|
| Up to 15 minutes | £7 |
| Each minute after 15 | £1 |
| After 30 minutes | £50 flat |
From the airport's drop-off page, checked 25 September 2026.
You pay by card or contactless at the forecourt exit barrier. The per-minute charge after 15 minutes climbs quickly, so keep the stop short.
The free option: Long Stay
You can leave the car in Long Stay free for up to an hour, per the airport.
Your passenger takes the free bus to the terminal, which runs from 04:00 until the last arrival and takes under five minutes. For pick-ups, wait in Long Stay and meet your passenger off the bus.
Blue Badge holders
The airport advises Blue Badge holders to use Short Stay rather than the Express Drop-off.
Short Stay gives 30 minutes free for drop-offs and pick-ups. Take the ticket and badge to the customer service office before exiting; the badge's 13-digit number is needed, and photocopies are accepted.
Picking up arrivals
For collecting someone, park in Short Stay or wait free in Long Stay.
The Express Drop-off is not a waiting area; its charges climb by the minute. Short Stay lets you walk into arrivals; Long Stay is free for an hour and linked by the bus.
When a flight is late
Wait in Long Stay, not on the forecourt.
Check the flight status and move to Short Stay or the forecourt only when your passenger has their bags.
Taxis and coaches
Taxis and coaches use their own facilities at the airport.
The airport provides separate arrangements for them. Ordinary cars use the Express Drop-off, Short Stay or Long Stay.
Heliport drop-offs
Offshore workers flying from the heliport terminals have their own parking arrangements.
Long Stay and the Park and Depart car park carry the offshore rate. See our Aberdeen offshore parking guide.
Without the car
Dyce station is the nearest railway station, a short ride from the terminal.
Buses also link the airport with the city centre. A lift to a bus or train stop avoids every charge on this page.
Which option for which job
Match the stop to how long you need.
| You are | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dropping off quickly | Express Drop-off | Right outside the terminal |
| Dropping off free | Long Stay | Up to an hour free, bus to the terminal |
| Blue Badge holder | Short Stay | 30 minutes free |
| Meeting a flight | Short Stay | Walk into arrivals |
A checklist
Five habits that save money.
- Keep it short. Charges rise by the minute after 15.
- Use Long Stay free. For a short stop.
- Blue Badge in Short Stay. 30 minutes free.
- Pay by card. At the exit barrier.
- Do not wait on the forecourt. Use a car park.
Our view
Use Long Stay's free drop-off time whenever you can.
The Express Drop-off is convenient for a quick goodbye, but its charges climb fast. Long Stay's free stay and short bus make it the thrifty choice, and Short Stay is best for Blue Badge holders and for meeting arrivals.
Finding the Express Drop-off
Follow the signs for Drop-off to the upper forecourt outside the terminal.
Stop, unload and drive to the exit barrier, where you pay by card. The clock starts when you enter, so have passengers and bags ready before you arrive.
Early mornings
Monday mornings are the busiest time at Aberdeen.
Offshore crews, business travellers and holidaymakers all arrive early. Queues on the forecourt can eat into the first 15 minutes, so allow extra time or use Long Stay.
What a lift really costs
Two trips to the airport can cost more than parking.
A drop-off and a pick-up at the Express Drop-off, plus fuel for two return journeys, can match a few days in Long Stay with our code. For a short trip, parking may be the simpler choice.
Passengers who need help
Park and walk in with them.
Short Stay gives Blue Badge holders 30 minutes free and is a couple of minutes from check-in. Book assistance with the airline for help through security.
Paying
Pay at the exit barrier by card or contactless.
There is no online payment deadline to remember at Aberdeen, unlike some UK airports: you pay on the way out.
Blue Badge in detail
Short Stay's free 30 minutes is designed for Blue Badge drop-offs and pick-ups.
Park in Short Stay, walk your passenger in, and take the ticket and badge to the customer service office before leaving. The badge's 13-digit number is recorded; a photocopy is accepted. It is a more generous and less rushed option than the Express Drop-off.
Making the most of Long Stay
Long Stay's free stay works for both drop-offs and pick-ups.
For a drop-off, park, walk your passenger to the bus and drive away. For a pick-up, park and wait for your passenger to take the bus to you. The airport does not charge for the first hour.
Taxis and private hire
Ask whether the fare includes the drop-off charge.
Taxis use their own facilities at the airport, but a private hire car using the Express Drop-off pays the same charge as anyone else.
About Dyce and the airport
Aberdeen International Airport sits at Dyce, about seven miles north-west of the city centre.
It is the main airport for the North East of Scotland and one of the busiest helicopter bases in the world, thanks to the North Sea energy industry. That mix of offshore crews, business travellers and holidaymakers shapes the drop-off areas: Monday mornings are busy, and demand is steadier through the year than at most holiday airports.
The airport is reached from the A96 and the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, and Dyce railway station is a short ride away.
In short
Free at Long Stay, quick at the Express Drop-off, generous in Short Stay for Blue Badge holders.
Choose the option that fits the time you need. For most drop-offs, Long Stay's free stay costs nothing and takes only a few minutes longer.
Planning a pick-up
Check the flight before you leave home.
Arrivals are often early or late. Leave home when the flight is confirmed as landed, or plan to wait in Long Stay at no charge. Agree a meeting point with your passenger: the Long Stay bus stop, the arrivals hall, or the Short Stay exit.
For a family collecting several people with luggage, Short Stay makes the meeting simpler, and the charge for a short stay is modest.
The charges at a glance
Seven pounds for the first quarter hour at the Express Drop-off, nothing for an hour at Long Stay.
Blue Badge holders get 30 minutes free in Short Stay. All three are a few minutes from check-in.
Drop-off and pick-up at Aberdeen: your questions
The Express Drop-off costs £7 for up to 15 minutes, then £1 a minute, with a flat £50 after 30 minutes.
Yes. You can leave the car in Long Stay free for up to an hour and use the free bus.
By card, including contactless, at the forecourt exit barrier.
In Short Stay, which gives 30 minutes free when validated at the customer service office.
Directly outside the main terminal, on the upper forecourt.
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