Gatwick rolls out robotic car parking for passengers flying away for at least five days
Gatwick Airport has begun rolling out a robotic valet parking service for passengers flying away for five days or more, deploying automated vehicles to lift and store cars without human drivers. The launch comes at a sensitive moment for the airport, arriving just days after an air traffic control failure caused widespread flight disruption and weeks after a fire destroyed around 140 vehicles at a nearby third-party car park, though Gatwick is pressing ahead as it prepares for future growth.
To use the service, drivers pull into a garage near the South Terminal, scan a QR code and leave their car in a dedicated "parking suite," where a small robot then lifts and moves it to an outdoor space; on return, the system is alerted when the flight lands so the car is ready by the time passengers clear passport control and baggage collection. It costs about £109 for five days, runs on weekdays from 9am to 5pm, and roughly five per cent of vehicles — including some SUVs, low sports cars and vehicles with roof boxes — are not compatible. The service was developed with Stanley Robotics, whose chief executive called it a milestone for the firm's UK expansion, while Gatwick's Oli Bedford described it as a "game changer" that lets passengers keep their keys for peace of mind.
- Gatwick launches robotic valet parking for trips of five-plus days
- Costs £109 for five days; weekdays 9am-5pm only
- About 5% of cars, including some SUVs, are incompatible
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Gatwick Airport has begun offering a driverless valet parking scheme for travellers going away for five days or more. Small robots lift and move parked cars into storage spaces without a human driver, and the vehicle is retrieved automatically ready for collection when the owner's flight lands.
The system was developed with Stanley Robotics, a company specialising in automated parking technology, and is being introduced near Gatwick's South Terminal. Drivers leave their car in a designated bay after scanning a QR code, rather than handing keys to a person, and the service covers most vehicles, though certain larger or lower cars are excluded.
The rollout comes as Gatwick faces recent difficulties, including a fire that destroyed vehicles at a nearby car park and disruption caused by an air traffic control problem, though the airport says the new parking service is part of longer-term plans rather than a direct response to those events.