Private shuttles will no longer drop off their customers at the gates of Nantes airport

“It’s not practical. It was more comfortable when we got off at the drop-off point” notes Marie-Claire as she gets out of a minibus with her suitcase at the P9 parking lot at Nantes airport. This 73-year-old retiree left her car on a private parking near the airport and was brought by shuttle. She has to walk five minutes, cross a road and another parking lot to get to the terminal. Usually, drivers drop off their customers at the gates of Nantes airport, at the drop-off point. But they no longer have the right to do so since April 2.

Streamline access to the drop-off point

Each vehicle can only access this drop-off twice a day. Beyond that, the driver will be charged 100 euros per passage. Private parking companies near the airport have five dedicated spaces for their shuttles at the airport’s P9 parking lot. They must pay a flat rate of 950 euros per year per car to access it.
“It’s good to have our own places. But that raises safety issues for customers. You have to cross a road, it’s not easy for a family with children, for an elderly or disabled person” says Valérie Moulin, manager of the private parking lot with IZIPARK shuttles.

It is precisely for security reasons that this decision was taken, assures Hervé Bidet, commercial director of Nantes airport. “A number of external shuttles misused the drop-off area. With many untimely stops in the aisles, poor use of places for people with reduced mobility.” For unclog this drop-off individuals, two other airport car parks are now accessible free of charge for 20 minutes: P3 and P5.

Lack of communication

Private parking companies with shuttles learned the news by mail. Jean-Michel Le Chevanton, manager of Proxi-Park, would have liked a consultation. “We didn’t have a dialogue. We were presented with a fait accompli. What I regret is that we could have talked about it because I think there were other, more interesting solutions to serve airport users.” The commercial director of Nantes airport Hervé Bidet remains brief on this subject and is content with a laconic “A letter was sent ahead of the season to explain the solutions that contributed to the decisions we made.”