Edinburgh Airport's "kiss and fly" charge costs £5 for 10 mins

London, Oct 29 (ANI): Edinburgh Airport has introduced new "kiss and fly" drop-off charges by which motorists, who delay departure, will have to pay 5 pounds if they are at the drop-off for more than 10 minutes.

Drivers dropping off passengers will be charged 1 pound, with fees rising sharply if they stay more than ten minutes, to deter parking there.

The cost will increase to 5 pounds for ten to 20 minutes, 7 pounds for an hour and then 9 pounds an hour thereafter.

"They have put on this time limit to encourage people to go quickly, but there will be families with small children or people who are not quite so able who need to take their time and they should not feel harassed or hurried under threat of this 5 pounds charge," the Scotsman quoted Lothians Tory MSP Gavin Brown as saying.

"It does strike me as mean-spirited," he stated.

The 30-space free drop-off area is moved to the long-stay car park, near the Hilton hotel, linked to the terminal by free shuttle buses every ten minutes.

However, drivers will be allowed to stop there for only ten minutes without charge, after which the same fees will apply.

The 1 pound charge, which is the only one of its type in Scotland, is not supported by the Scottish Government and opposed by all the opposition parties, along with 68 of 71 MSPs who responded to a poll. (ANI)