Brisbane Airport car parking sky rockets to third most expensive

Long-term car parking fees at Brisbane Airport have been increased, making it almost as expensive as parking a light aircraft.

Long-term carparking at Brisbane Airport is almost as expensive as parking a light aircraft, but the corporation which runs the city’s gateway says its prices are fair and priced to meet many needs.

The most recent schedule of charges showed long-term carparking was $69 a day, rising to $189 for two to six days. It also cost $30 for the first two hours.

Aircraft under 40 tonnes could park for free for the first two hours but owners must then pay $121.79 a day, or $243.58 for two days.

It has previously been an even better deal for those with a pilot’s license.

For instance, it was actually cheaper in 2012 to park a plane than a vehicle, leading the RACQ to claim at the time that the airport was subsidising planes while penalising motorists.

Up until about a decade ago a plane up to 5000kg cost just $33.60 to park for a day, compared with $42 for a car.

Brisbane also had some of the highest terminal parking rates in Australia, according to Compare The Market.

Cairns ($156 per week) was also high, although a Cairns Airport spokeswoman said its base rate was $77 and its top $156 rate was a drive up, high-season tariff.

Melbourne had among the nation’s cheapest airport parking at $84 a week, with Perth charging $89.

After years of topping global and national airport charges, Brisbane now compared much more favourably with overseas air terminals.

Doha’s Hamad International Airport, home of Qatar Airways, was the dearest in the world at $538 a week after a whopping 409 per cent rise, according to website Simple Flying.

Heathrow in London trailed in second place at $324 per week, while San Francisco was in third spot at $245.

At the other end of the scale, Sao Paulo Guarulhos International Airport in Brazil was the world’s cheapest at a bargain $26.74 per week.

A Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) spokeswoman said its rates were “fair and reasonable and priced to suit a range of needs and budgets’’.

“The increasing popularity of our carparking options, from the budget friendly Airpark, through to Valet services, attest to that,’’ she said.

Airport parking at Brisbane domestic terminal. Pic Peter Wallis

“While I understand that, to the lay person, a comparison between the aircraft and carparking charges seems a reasonable thing to do, the fact is that there’s actually nothing about them that is comparable.

“The cost to BAC of providing a carparking spot, including construction, maintenance, cleaning, management and operation and sales platforms is entirely recovered via car park charges.

“However, the cost to BAC of providing aircraft apron, including construction, maintenance, management and operation is not recovered via the parking charge, but via a range of charges to airlines.’’

That was mainly through the per passenger charge that covered runway, taxiway and apron usage.

“The aircraft parking charge has an entirely different purpose — to incentivise efficient use of apron by having fewer aircraft on the ground for extended periods — and is nominal,’’ she said.

Originally published as Brisbane Airport car parking sky rockets to third most expensive