Gatwick becomes first UK airport with robot valet parking — and you keep your keys

London Gatwick is rolling out autonomous parking in partnership with Stanley Robotics, making it the first UK airport to offer the service. Instead of circling a car park, passengers drive into an enclosed cabin near the South Terminal, scan their booking, and walk away with their keys in hand. A robot then slides under the vehicle, lifts it by the tyres, and moves it to a secure storage area. Return flight details supplied at booking let the system stage the car in a collection cabin for the traveler’s arrival. Bookings are open now, with the first customer journeys starting in August.

The main operational appeal is density. Because no human needs to walk between parked cars, vehicles can be packed far tighter than in a conventional lot, letting the airport expand capacity without building new structures — a point Stanley Robotics frames as directly addressing Gatwick’s growth-driven parking crunch. Keeping the keys with the customer also sidesteps the trust and liability concerns of traditional valet parking, and on-site staff remain available to retrieve items left behind.

The service is advance-booking only, with no same-day drive-up option, and is limited to standard cars within set bounds: up to 2.6 tonnes, 2.3 m tall, a 3.3 m wheelbase, and 21-inch wheels. Stanley Robotics has deployed comparable systems abroad, but this marks its first UK airport installation.