Birmingham Airport Drop Off Car Park parking fine: rules, free time and how to appeal

Birmingham Airport Drop Off Car Park is an airport car park serving Birmingham Airport in Birmingham, on Concorde Road (B26 3QJ). Parking here is managed by NCP (National Car Parks), a private operator and member of the British Parking Association (BPA), so a ticket from this car park is a private Parking Charge Notice, not a council fine.

NCP (National Car Parks) enforces the rules at Birmingham Airport Drop Off Car Park using number-plate recognition (ANPR) cameras that log the time you drive in and out. If you got a charge here it will usually have arrived by post, addressed to the registered keeper, and the times on it are camera times, not the time you parked.

The rules at Birmingham Airport Drop Off Car Park

You can park free for 10 minutes.

This is a short-stay area, with permitted stays of 30 minutes or less. The codes allow short-stay sites to skip the usual 10-minute grace period, so tight timings matter more here than at a normal car park.

This is the airport's free-for-10-minutes drop-off car park, run by NCP with entry cameras and no barriers. Anything over 10 minutes is charged in steep five-minute tiers and must be paid at a machine or online within 24 hours of leaving, or a parking charge follows. A 2025 forum case involved a driver held up for 17 minutes in congestion whose appeal was rejected; forum members noted that naming the driver in the first appeal made a later POPLA challenge much harder. If you are collecting someone, wait elsewhere until they are kerbside so you are in and out within the free window.

How to appeal a charge at Birmingham Airport Drop Off Car Park

1. Don't ignore it. Note the date on the notice: you normally have 28 days to appeal to NCP (National Car Parks), and 14 days to pay at the reduced rate if you decide to pay.
2. Gather evidence: photos of the signs and where you parked at Birmingham Airport Drop Off Car Park, receipts, payment records, and anything that explains why you stayed longer.
3. Appeal to NCP (National Car Parks) in writing. Keep to the facts and keep a copy. If you were not driving, you don't have to say who was.
4. If NCP (National Car Parks) rejects your appeal, it must give you a code to appeal to POPLA, the independent appeals service for BPA members. POPLA appeals are free, and you have 28 days from the rejection to use the code.

If you were dropping off or picking up

Airport drop-off zones are usually short-stay, with charges that start after a few minutes. If you were held up by traffic inside the airport road system, or the barrier or payment system failed, say so and give times.

Check whether the charge is a private Parking Charge Notice from NCP (National Car Parks) or a fee you were meant to pay online by midnight the next day. They are different, and the second is often paid late rather than not at all.

Common reasons charges here get cancelled

• A few minutes over the limitThe cameras time your whole visit, from the entrance to the exit. With a 10 minutes limit at Birmingham Airport Drop Off Car Park, an overstay of up to about 15 minutes is often inside the consideration and grace periods the code requires.
• Reported at this car parkOverrunning the 10 free minutes in queues or while waiting for passengers
• Reported at this car parkAssuming a short stay is free and not paying the tier within 24 hours
• Signs you couldn't reasonably seeThe terms are a contract formed by the signs at Birmingham Airport Drop Off Car Park. If the entrance sign was missing, hidden or unreadable, photograph it from the driver's position; the codes set rules for size, placement and wording.

Get an appeal letter for Birmingham Airport Drop Off Car Park

Written for you from your check, addressed to NCP (National Car Parks) with this car park's details already filled in.

• First appeal, plus the POPLA appeal if it's rejected
• Late-appeal and £20-reduction letters included
• Edit it, then download as Word or PDF, or copy into the appeal form
• Full refund within 14 days, no questions

Start my letter, £5.99 Appeal for free instead

A document-preparation service, not legal advice. Your details stay on your device.

Questions about parking at Birmingham Airport Drop Off Car Park

How long can you park at Birmingham Airport Drop Off Car Park?

You can park free for 10 minutes; we didn't find a separate maximum stay.

Who runs Birmingham Airport Drop Off Car Park car park?

NCP (National Car Parks) manages the parking for Birmingham Airport. It's a member of the BPA, so appeals go to NCP (National Car Parks) first and then to POPLA.

Is Birmingham Airport Drop Off Car Park car park free?

Yes, it's free for 10 minutes. Staying longer than allowed can lead to a charge of up to £100.

Can I appeal a NCP (National Car Parks) charge at Birmingham Airport Drop Off Car Park?

Yes. Appeal to NCP (National Car Parks) within 28 days, with evidence. If it's rejected you can go to POPLA for free. Paying doesn't stop you appealing first, but the reduced rate usually only applies in the first 14 days.

Does Birmingham Airport Drop Off Car Park have parking cameras?

Yes, NCP (National Car Parks) uses ANPR cameras here. They record your registration and the time you enter and leave, and charges are posted to the registered keeper.

Last checked on 31 October 2026, from the landowner or retailer's website (Birmingham Airport drop-off page; ftla.uk thread Jul 2025). Signs and rules change, so the signs on the day are what count. Spotted something different? Report a change.