Airport parking stress over? Gatwick unveils ‘game-changing’ robots

Gone are the days of finding a parking space, making a note of where you left your car and lugging your cases to the departures terminal before heading off on holiday. 

London Gatwick is set to launch the UK’s first robotic airport parking service. 

The ‘Official Gatwick Airport Robotic Parking’ is only available from the hub’s South Terminal and allows customers to drop off their car and let technology do the rest. 

Described as a way to make ‘parking closer to the terminal effortless’, the new service uses state-of-the-art robots made by Stanley Robotics. 

Travellers simply drive into a dedicated private drop-off cabin and step out of their car.

A high-tech robot will then take care of everything else, with no need to even hand over your keys.

London Gatwick is set to launch a new robotic parking service that’s the first of its kind in the UK

Holidaymakers will hand their car over to the robots and let them do the rest, with no need to even hand over the keys

Once your holiday is over, your car will be ‘ready and waiting’ for your return. The collection point is only a short walk or bus ride from the terminal.

It has been introduced as part of Gatwick’s ‘continued investment in making travelling easier and more enjoyable, cutting out the time spent searching for a space and making parking easy’.

Images show the robots, which are white and black, picking up a car and moving it from the secure garage. 

Holidaymakers will be able to book the new parking service from August. 

Oli Bedford, head of airport access, marketing and commercial products at London Gatwick, described the new tech as a ‘real game-changer for our pᴀssengers’.

He said: ‘It’s quick, easy and completely hᴀssle-free – and you even get to keep your keys, giving extra peace of mind while you’re enjoying your holiday.’

Clement Boussard, chief executive officer at Stanley Robotics, added: ‘We are thrilled to partner with London Gatwick, a global leader in aviation, to deploy our solution and address their critical parking capacity challenges as they prepare for significant growth. 

‘This project marks a major milestone for Stanley Robotics in the UK, and we are proud to bring our innovative technology to one of the world’s most forward-thinking airports.’

Images show the robots, which are white and black, picking up a car and moving it from the secure garage

Travellers will be able to book the new service from August

Last week British airports were slammed for imposing exorbitant ‘kiss-and-fly’ fees of up to £10 to drop off pᴀssengers.

More than three-quarters of airports raised or introduced drop-off fees for drivers in the past year, research found. 

Sixteen out of 20 airports analysed by the RAC have increased the charges – which are typically levied for dropping off a pᴀssenger as close to a terminal as possible – since last summer.

And the average cost has increased by a third. Gatwick and Stansted charge the dearest fees, at £10 for ten minutes and 15 minutes, respectively. Next are Edinburgh and Bristol (both £8.50 for ten minutes).

London City has gone from being the only major UK airport analysed which allowed free drop-offs outside its terminal to the most expensive charge per minute, at £8 for five minutes.

The only four airports not to have increased their charges this year are Liverpool John Lennon, East Midlands, Belfast City and Southampton