REVEALED: THE MOST EXPENSIVE AIRPORT PARKING IN THE WORLD
From the UK to countries across the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Africa, millions are struggling in the current global economic crisis. From the cost of our weekly food shop to the energy bills in our homes, the cost of living is soaring around the world, and families are having to make difficult sacrifices to make ends meet.
It was reported last year that, in line with this, the cost of airport parking has risen by up to 260%, with parking sometimes costing more than the flights themselves. The rising cost of land has contributed to this, as well as the increasing demand for parking spaces at airports, due to the flexibility, comfortability, and reassurance that they can provide travellers with.
To find out where in the world has the most expensive airport parking rates, online casino Spin Casino looked at 300 of the most popular airports in the world, and ranked them on which have the most expensive weekly parking rates, proportional to the average weekly salary in each country.
How do you determine whether airport parking is expensive?
Casino games site Spin Casino looked at a number of different points to establish the affordability of each airport’s parking rates.
The weekly parking rate for each airport, from Saturday 6 April, 9am, until Saturday 13 April, 6pm, was sourced from the official website of each airport. This is based on the cheapest parking rate available for a standard sized car, parking within a ten minute walking distance to the terminal.
It also looked at the average weekly salary of the country in USD, according to World Data, to calculate the affordability ratio of each airport, by dividing the average weekly salary by the weekly airport parking rate. Lower scores represented more expensive airports.
The percentage of the country’s average weekly salary that would be required to pay for a week’s parking at the airport was also calculated, by dividing the airport parking rate by the average weekly salary.
Where is the most expensive airport parking in the world?
10 - Kempegowda International Airport, India
Located in Bangalore, Kempegowda International Airport serves more than 15 million passengers yearly in the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region of India. The airport is the third-busiest airport in the country, closely behind the airports in Delhi and Mumbai, which both also appear on this list.
It costs $36.82 USD to park at Kempegowda International Airport for a week. This is 80.11% of the country’s average weekly salary, $45.96 USD. This gives it an affordability ratio score of 1.25.
Last year, a walkway was built between the P4 parking area and Terminal 1, designed to provide a seamless experience for pedestrians, and a second terminal opened at the start of this year, due to popularity. All parking zones are within a walking distance of 100 to 200 metres from the terminal, and this ease and convenience may convince people to spend their money on parking, rather than using public transport.
9 - Mexico City International Airport, Mexico
Mexico City International Airport, officially known as Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez, serves Greater Mexico City. It is Mexico and Latin America's busiest airport by passenger traffic and aircraft movements, and the 33rd busiest in the world.
It costs $171.77 USD to park at Mexico City International Airport for a week. This is 82.55% of the country’s average weekly salary, $208.08 USD. This gives it an affordability ratio score of 1.21.
The main parking area has recently been greatly expanded and now provides almost 2,000 parking spaces. It is also highly rated with regards to restaurant choices, with an impressive 168 choices. This may encourage travellers to use the parking facilities, so they have the flexibility to explore the vast array of options available to them at their leisure, rather than being concerned about catching public transport on time.
8 - Mangalore International Airport, India
Mangalore International Airport, also known as Mangaluru International Airport, serves the coastal city of Mangalore in India. It is one of only two international airports in Karnataka, the other being Kempegowda International Airport, Bangalore, which is ranked 10th on this list.
It costs $40.56 USD to park at Mangalore International Airport for a week. This is 88.25% of the country’s average weekly salary, $45.96 USD. This gives it an affordability ratio score of 1.13.
Mangalore International Airport has implemented many processes to improve its parking facilities, which may encourage travellers to spend more money to use them. This includes their FASTag solution, which introduces special lanes which facilitate quick movement that travellers can use for no extra cost, as well as automatic number plate recognition.
7 - Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, Argentina
Jorge Newbery Airfield, commonly known as Aeroparque, is located northwest of downtown Buenos Aires. It is located along the Río de la Plata, in the Palermo neighbourhood, and serves as the main hub for domestic flights in Argentina and South American destinations.
It costs $211.58 to park at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery for a week. This is 94.93% of the country’s average weekly salary, 222.88 USD. This gives it an affordability ratio score of 1.05.
The airport reopened in March 2021, with a new runway and construction of an international sector of the passenger terminal. This led to an increased number of passengers using the airport, as well as the parking facilities. The airport also has a variety of covered car parks, which may appeal to travellers who want to ensure their car is kept secure while they are away.
6 - Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport, Tunisia
Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport serves the Monastir and Sousse areas in Tunisia. The passengers are mainly tourists coming to visit Monastir, Sousse and the surrounding resorts, with a capacity of 3.5 million passengers per year.
It costs 29.07 to park at Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport for a week. This is 119.34% of the country’s average weekly salary, 24.36 USD. This gives it an affordability ratio score of 0.84.
The airport uses the intelligent parking management system of Parktron Technology to ensure free flow of traffic during peak hours, which is likely to appeal to travellers who do not want to spend long periods of time on public transport, or entering and exiting the airport.
5 - Indira Gandhi International Airport, India
Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region. It is the busiest airport in India in terms of passenger traffic, a record it has held since 2009, and it is also the busiest airport in the country in terms of cargo traffic.
It costs $55.49 USD to park at Indira Gandhi International Airport for a week. This is 120.73% of the country’s average weekly salary, $45.96 USD. This gives it an affordability ratio score of 0.83.
The security of the well-lit car parking area is likely to appeal to travellers, with 24 hour CCTV surveillance, cars manually screened by CISF guards and private security marshals. Parking Guidance Information systems are also implemented, which can quickly search for vacant parking spaces by directing drivers to locations where occupancy levels are low - improving traffic flow and space utilisation, while reducing fuel wastage and emissions.
4 - Dakar Blaise Diagne International Airport, Senegal
Blaise Diagne International Airport near the town of Diass in Thiès Region serves as the main airport for Dakar, replacing the smaller Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport. Regular flights are operated to destinations across many parts of Africa, as well as to Europe, Macaronesia, the Middle East, and the USA.
It costs $76.08 USD to park at Blaise Diagne International Airport for a week. This is 177.59% of the country’s average weekly salary, $42.84 USD. This gives it an affordability ratio score of 0.56.
The airport is still relatively new to the city, having officially opened its doors in 2018, and the new Dakar Train Express Regional (TER) line only began to connect the city and the airport in 2023. With transport infrastructure developments being so novel, travellers may opt for parking as the most familiar and reliable option at this point in time, despite the higher price.
3 - Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, India
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport serves Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. It is the second busiest airport in India in terms of total and international passenger traffic after Delhi, which ranks 5th on this list. It was the 14th busiest airport in Asia and 28th busiest airport in the world in 2022.
It costs $96.58 USD to park at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for a week. This is 210.13% of the country’s average weekly salary, $45.96 USD. This gives it an affordability ratio score of 0.48.
There have been reports of a rise of illegal parking at the airport in recent months, particularly near Terminal 2. It may be the high price point that is deterring travellers from using the airport’s own car parking facilities, however, these reports may encourage people to instead use the official car parks, to ensure their vehicles are kept secure and safe.
2 - Yangon International Airport, Myanmar
Yangon International Airport is the primary and busiest international airport of Myanmar. It is commonly known as Mingaladon Airport due to its location - it is strategically located between India and China with two-thirds of the world's population within six hours flying range.
It costs $19.05 USD to park at Yangon International Airport for a week. This is 433.39% of the country’s average weekly salary, $4.40 USD. This gives it an affordability ratio score of 0.23.
Transport connectivity has been slowly and steadily improving in Myanmar, but these developments may not be fast-paced enough to please travellers, who want a reliable and convenient method of getting to the airport. This may encourage them to park at the airport, rather than relying on transport services which are still developing and may suffer from unreliability.
1 - Princess Juliana International Airport, Netherlands Antilles
Princess Juliana International Airport is the main airport on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, located on the Dutch side of the island. The airport is the main gateway for the smaller Leeward Islands, including Anguilla, Saba, Saint Barthélemy and Sint Eustatius.
It costs $194.71 USD to park at Princess Juliana International Airport for a week. This is 449.49% of the country’s average weekly salary, $43.32 USD. This gives it an affordability ratio score of 0.22.
Similarly to Myanmar, Netherlands Antilles only recently started developing its infrastructure. It cannot afford to create a modern and diverse transport network, and while buses are very popular on the island, they do not run to any prearranged schedule, so people may opt to use the airport’s impressive parking facilities to reassure them that they will not be late for their flight.
Commenting on the research, a spokesperson at Spin Casino said:
“If you’re planning to travel by plane, the expenses can quickly add up, and with reports that parking is becoming more expensive than the flights themselves in some cases, it’s natural that the cost of parking might influence where you decide to fly from, or whether you decide to park at the airport rather than using public transport methods.
“Our research looked at the cost of airport parking at some of the most popular airports, in a wide variety of countries around the world. We took into account the average weekly salary in each country, to determine how affordable the parking will be for residents, proportional to their earnings. We used this to calculate an affordability score for each airport, to make the cost of parking at these airports comparable between countries with varying average incomes.
“Princess Juliana International Airport, which is located on the Caribbean island St Martin, is 2024’s most expensive airport for parking, based on affordability of its residents. The island lacks a modern and diverse transport network, and while buses are very popular on the island, they do not run to any prearranged schedule. So, people may opt to use the airport’s parking facilities to reassure them that they will not be late for their flight, regardless of the higher-than-average cost.”
Travel games
To mark the start of spring, play online slots games at Spin Casino, including Spring Break and The Grand Journey.
Methodology
Spin Casino took 300 of the most visited airports in the world. It then compared the below data points:
- The airport parking rate from Saturday 6 April, 9am, until Saturday 13 April, 6pm, according to the airports’ official websites. This is based on the cheapest parking rate available for a standard sized car, parking within a ten minute walking distance to the terminal.
- The average weekly salary of the country in USD, according to World Data.
The affordability ratio for each airport was then calculated, by dividing the average weekly salary by the weekly airport parking rate. Lower scores represented more expensive airports.
The percentage of the weekly salary that would be required to pay for a week of airport parking was also calculated, by dividing the airport parking rate by the average weekly salary.
