JEDDAH, Aug 6 (Arab News): Residents have expressed outrage over parking charges for drivers who take too long to drop off and pick up passengers at the domestic terminal of Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport.
They claim the fee, which is being levied by the company that developed the airport’s parking lot, is a tax that is unjustifiable. They called on civil aviation authorities to abolish the charge, which they claim is illegal, Al-Madinah newspaper reported on Thursday.
“The investment company is apparently charging the fee with the blessing of airport authorities. Such a fee should not be imposed without proper studies and without notifying travelers in advance,” said Saudi citizen Hamad Al-Dossary.
Fellow Saudi Khaled Al-Sahli pointed out that motorists only had 10 minutes to drop off or pick up passengers before they had to pay a parking fee. “This time limit is quite inadequate and should be raised,” he said.
Saleh Al-Wakidi is another citizen questioning the legality of the fee. “Even though I traveled to several Arab and European countries, I never saw such a parking fee at the airports there,” he said, adding that the fee was only restricted to the domestic terminal and did not affect the international terminal.
General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) spokesman Khaled Al-Khaibari said the charge was in place to ease traffic congestion in front of the passengers’ arrival and departure terminal.
He added that more parking spaces would be made available.
“The new measure is also aimed at implementing a sense of urgency among citizens who just park systematically in front of the airport. The investment company started charging the fee to help pay for the renovation of the parking area,” he said.
Al-Khaibari rejected allegations that the charge equates to a tax and added that the company was charging SR2 an hour for drivers wishing to use the open parking area in the southern part of the terminal.
“The fee for the shaded western parking area is SR3 per hour, while there is SR5 per hour charge to park in the lot situated close to the terminal,” he said.
He affirmed that there was no charge for vehicles leaving the airport within 10 minutes after arrival.
Al-Khaibari also drew attention to the massive development work around the parking areas. “The new four-track area in front of the terminal can accommodate around 70 vehicles entering the area at any one time,” he said.
“The upgraded parking area, which is 200 meters away from the terminal, has capacity for around 900 vehicles. We have introduced a electronic monitoring system, which safeguards vehicles from theft or similar crimes.”
He added that the company is responsible for the safety of all vehicles parked in the area. “It will give compensation to the owners of vehicles that are damaged while parked in this area through no fault of their own,” he said.
According to Al-Khaibari, over half of the 17,000 drivers entering the airport daily are not paying any charge as they leave within 10 minutes of entry.