Motorists will be charged if they use one of the busiest Aberdeen Airport car parks to drop off family and friends.

From today, it will cost £1 to drive onto the airport forecourt for up to 10 minutes.

Anyone wishing to stay longer will have to use the short stay car park, or free spaces in the long stay car park which is connected to the main terminal by a free shuttle service.

Disabled blue badge holders will also be affected by the charge, but are entitled to 30 minutes free parking in the short stay area.

Airport bosses say the new charge has been introduced to combat congestion and address safety concerns.

Carol Benzie, managing director, said: “It is something we have had under review for over a year now. We have been aware of increasing traffic which is becoming a safety issue.

“It’s become even more pressing because we have started work on the new terminal, and the volume of traffic will be increasing in and around Dyce Drive, which is the main route for staff and customers.

“We have not had any accidents yet and we are acting before we do.”

The system will be managed by a number plate recognition system and exit barriers.

Anyone who stays longer than 10 minutes will be subject to a parking charge notice from the DVLA.

Mrs Benzie continued: “We have spoken to colleagues in airports across the UK and Europe who now use this system and have found it to be successful.

“A team will be reviewing this on a daily basis and to make sure everything runs smoothly there will be lots of additional staff on in the first few days.

“Anything that involves asking people to pay extra money is never going to be popular, but safety is of paramount importance, particularly when we’re going to be an industrial site in the near future.”

Funds raised from the charge will initially go towards paying off the cost of the new system. Thereafter, 10% will be donated to community causes with the rest going towards airport infrastructure.