Airport waiting cut sparks anger

The waiting time for motorists at Newcastle Airport has been cut, sparking anger among taxi drivers.

All vehicles are now restricted to five minutes in the pick-up and drop-off parking area, before charges of upwards of £1 are imposed.

Taxi drivers have described the reduction from a 10 minute waiting time as unworkable.

Airport bosses say extra entry and exit points have allowed vehicles to move through the area more quickly.

Paul Irwin, managing director of Eastcoast Taxis based in North Tyneside, said picking up a passenger and leaving the airport parking area in five minutes was "virtually impossible".

'Very achievable'

He said: "Giving drivers only five minutes is absolutely impractical as they must first locate the passenger and then join the queue to leave the pick-up area.

"If we can't resolve this issue then the charges will simply have to be passed onto customers, which is something we do not want to do."

The waiting time reduction was imposed on 1 June.

George Nesbitt, head of car parking at Newcastle Airport, said: "The investments we have made [to the parking area] will still enable us to process the same number of people through free of charge.

"[For taxis] I'm confident that five minutes to drop-off is very achievable and five minutes to pick-up, if the customer is already waiting, is also achievable."