Two of Scotland's main airports have been accused of being a 'law unto themselves' and using passengers as a 'cash cow' after hiking drop-off fees by up to 600 per cent in the past decade.
Customers at Glasgow and Aberdeen international terminals, both owned by AGA Airports, are now being asked to fork out £7 for the so-called 'kiss-and-fly' tax - up £1 and £1.50 on last year respectively.
Just last summer Glasgow Airport bumped up the levy from £5.50 to £6, while Aberdeen has also increased charges since 2024, when the fee was £5.50.
The Scottish Conservatives' transport spokesman Sue Webber said the latest rises showed passengers and taxi firms were 'continuing to be used as a cash cow' and claimed 'the SNP are doing nothing to stop it'.
She added: 'Many people are reliant on these quick drop-offs as public transport in our cities under the SNP is too unreliable or simply not practical for an airport trip.'
'Ministers should look at ways to stop these frequent rises and make airport access fair and affordable.'
Scottish Taxi Federation chairman Jim Kyle said: 'Airports are a law unto themselves and the £7 charge is over the top. I can't understand how they can justify the cost to literally drive in for less than a minute. They've been putting it up by 50p at a time and now it's up by £1 [at Glasgow].'
'If you are longer than 15 minutes, it's £1 a minute after that. It's scandalous. In Glasgow it's not the driver who pays, it's the passenger. They advertise there is free parking but it is a long way away and if you’re bringing someone in with three or four cases there is no way they can walk it.'
Passengers at many of Scotland's international airports are being used as 'cash cows' as drop-off prices rise again, it has been warned
Prices have risen by 600 per cent at some airports
Scottish Labour transport spokesman Daniel Johnson said it was important airport charges were not 'squeezing Scottish holidaymakers or driving away tourism and investment'.
He added: 'This sharp increase will come as a blow to people travelling and to taxi drivers.'
'The SNP's decision to cancel the rail link to Glasgow airport means more people are being forced to fork out these steep fees.'
A study last year by motoring organisation the RAC found that since the previous summer 11 out of 20 UK airports analysed had raised or introduced the levy, while many European airports - including Paris Charles de Gaulle, Barcelona and Rome - still have no charge.
A £1 levy was introduced in Aberdeen in 2015 in a bid to reduce congestion and improve passenger safety, but since then the fee has spiked by 600 per cent. Glasgow has seen a 250 per cent increase from the initial £2 drop-off fee set in 2017.
A spokesman for the two airports said: 'We appreciate this is not a popular decision. However, it is important the airport remains competitive and all money raised serves to strengthen our connectivity and helps to attract new routes.'
They added both airports offer an hour-long free drop-off area in long-stay car parks and provide a shuttle service to and from the terminals.
Scotland's busiest airport, Edinburgh, which increased its 'kiss-and-fly' rates from £5 to £6, also offers a drop-off area in its long-stay car park. But it states on its website there are no shuttle buses between that car park and the terminal.
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: 'Decisions on drop-off charges at Aberdeen and Glasgow are a commercial matter for the airport owner and operator. The Scottish Government has no power to intervene.'