Melbourne Airport carpark fees rake in $145.1 million a year

MELBOURNE Airport has been accused of “price gouging” as new figures reveal its car parks have been raking in more than $397,000 a day, with most of it profit before interest and tax.

MELBOURNE Airport has been milking almost $400,000 a day from car park users.

Tullamarine’s parking cash grab swelled to $145.1 million in 2016-17 — up almost $10 million on the previous year, figures obtained by the Herald Sun reveal. That is just over $397,000 a day in parking revenue. The airport creamed ­almost 60c profit from each dollar, before ­interest and tax. Operating profit hit $86.7 million in 2016-17, up $6.8 million.

Consumer Action Law Centre chief Gerard Brody said the sums “amount to price gouging”.

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Parking Melbourne Airport Commute. Picture: Jason Edwards

“They get away with it because there’s a lack of other accessible ­options. They can clearly ­afford to do more to reduce costs for travellers,” he said.

Melbourne Airport has long faced complaints about its car park fees. It recently reduced some prices in response to a customer backlash.

Its chief of parking and ground access, Lorie Argus, insisted charges were not exorbitant. Responding to claims of excessive profit, she stressed it was costly to build and maintain roads in the precinct.

Ms Argus said revenue and profit was up because of more use of the budget airline T4 car park, plus premium parking bays.

“The T4 car park was open for the full financial year, unlike a year earlier,” she said.

“There has also been more than 30 per cent growth in travellers choosing to pay higher rates for premium and valet parking to guarantee the closest access to terminals”.

Short-term parking fees at the airport were recently reduced.

Ms Argus said the airport had “listened to consumer concerns”.

Short-term rates at terminals were cut by up to 20 per cent last month. Drivers pay $12 for an hour, $24 for three hours and $51 for a day.

An extra free passenger pick-up area with an extended time limit of 10 minutes was also opened this month. The extra zone aims to ease congestion at the main forecourt’s clogged one-minute public pick-up lanes.

Drivers who stay longer are charged $4 more than standard short-term parking rates.

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