UK’s first robotic car park opens at Gatwick airport

From August 2026, London Gatwick Airport will offer the UK’s first automated car park, thanks to a partnership with startup Stanley Robotics. Customers drive into a parking spot, scan their ticket, and a self-driving robot moves underneath to lift the vehicle up using its wheels, before taking it to a secure storage area. No keys are needed.

The service tracks your flight schedule and returns the vehicle in time for your arrival home. By using robots, more cars can be packed into the same amount of space, increasing capacity without requiring additional infrastructure. This is the first instance of autonomous robots performing physical tasks in a public setting within the UK, marking the beginning of a new era where robots take over mundane jobs typically done by humans.