East Midlands Airport Taxi from Lichfield and Birmingham
East Midlands Airport (EMA/EGNX)
EMA is a holiday airport, well connected to Europe — the most popular destinations being Alicante, Tenerife and Mallorca. The cost from Lichfield is £90 to £110, depending on how many people are travelling, and that includes the EMA drop-off and pick-up fees.
Getting to East Midlands Airport
We have two choices here, and we pick the quickest on the day. From Lichfield the 33-mile journey takes between 40 minutes and an hour. The first is the A38 north, the A50 east, then the A453. The second is the A38 south, the A5 east, then the M42 and A42 north.
Dropping off at East Midlands Airport
The Rapid Drop-Off zone sits right outside the doors, and it is the only sensible choice. Long Stay 2 gives you an hour free, but it is a walk of 15 to 20 minutes or a shuttle bus, and nobody wants that at four in the morning with a case in each hand!
Rapid Drop-Off is barrierless, so there is nothing to stop at and nothing to pay on the way out. Cameras read your number plate, and the £5 charge has to be paid online or by phone by 23:59 the following day. Miss it and it becomes £100, reduced to £60 if you pay within 14 days, and there is no cash option. We factor the charge into every East Midlands Airport transfer we do, so it is already in your fare and you never have to think about it.
One word of warning here. Do not be tempted to drop off or pick up at the on-site petrol station. CCTV cameras cover every road from the moment you turn into the airport. You will be fined if you stop anywhere on the double red lines or at the petrol station.
Picking up at East Midlands Airport
We will track your flight and send you a text when you have landed. We are normally parked up at the motorway services nearby. When you have your bags, send us a message and we will swing into the same Rapid Drop-Off area to pick you up. By the time you come out, we should be there!
East Midlands Airport drop-off and pick-up charges
| Option | Cost | Walk to the terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Rapid Drop-Off | £5 for 15 minutes, then £1 per minute | Right outside the doors |
| Short Stay | £6 for 30 minutes | 1 to 2 minutes |
| Long Stay 2 | Free for 1 hour, then £1 per minute | 15 to 20 minutes, or a shuttle bus |
| Blue Badge, Short Stay 1 | Free for 30 minutes | 1 to 2 minutes |
Long Stay 2 is subject to availability. Take a token at the barrier and pay by card at the exit. Rapid Drop-Off is barrierless, so pay online or by phone by 23:59 the following day, or the charge becomes £100, reduced to £60 if you pay within 14 days. Charges published by East Midlands Airport and correct at 31 August 2026. The £5 Rapid Drop-Off charge is included in every Cathedral Travel transfer.
Early flights and late arrivals
Because of the charter and freight traffic, EMA runs 24 hours a day. This means we can be picking you up early in the morning or getting you there for a 6am departure. It can get very busy at 2am, with everyone waiting for their pick-up in the zone.
Extra info
We are used to taking families to EMA, so we are more than happy to accommodate children. Please take a look at our car seats article. We also try our best to accommodate passengers with limited mobility, and we have transported many wheelchairs and walking frames in the boot.
Although we prefer to invoice and take payment by bank transfer, we also accept all major credit and debit cards, and cash. If you are flying from Birmingham instead, take a look at our Lichfield to Birmingham Airport taxi page.
East Midlands Airport trivia
Just beside EMA is the East Midlands Aeropark museum. It has over 30 historic aircraft parked up, including an Avro Vulcan, a BAe Nimrod and plenty of helicopters. There are a couple of good viewing spots for plane spotters too. Well worth the £5 entry, which includes your parking.
The bigger draw is the freight. EMA is Britain’s busiest dedicated cargo airport and second only to Heathrow for total freight, with DHL, UPS, FedEx and Royal Mail all running hubs on the site, and DHL Air UK based there. The airport handled 18,400 freighter movements in the ten months to January 2026, carrying 345,800 tonnes. That is roughly 60 landings and take-offs a day, a large share of them after 23:00, because express parcels fly while everyone else is asleep. It is also why EMA never closes, and why a 4am departure from here is routine rather than unusual.
Frequently Asked Questions
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From Lichfield we charge a fixed price of £90 to £110, depending on how many people are travelling. That includes the EMA Rapid Drop-Off charge, so the price we quote is the price you pay. If you are starting from Birmingham or elsewhere in the West Midlands, tell us your pick-up postcode and we will fix the price before you travel.
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Between 40 minutes and an hour from Lichfield, depending on traffic and which route we take — A38 north, A50 east and the A453, or A38 south, A5 and the M42/A42 north. We pick whichever is quicker on the day and plan your pick-up time around your flight.
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Yes. We are a pre-booked private hire service rather than a hail-and-ride taxi, so booking ahead guarantees the car and fixes the price, whatever time you fly. EMA runs 24 hours a day because of the charter and freight traffic, and so do we.
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There is no direct bus or train from Lichfield or Birmingham to EMA. The Skylink bus only runs from Derby, Leicester and Loughborough, so public transport means a train and then a bus with your luggage. A pre-booked car is door to door at a fixed price, and for a group of 4 to 6 it often works out at little more per person.
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We track your flight, so if it lands early or late we adjust to it. We text you as you land and wait nearby until you message to say you have your bags. Clearing customs and baggage reclaim normally takes 30 to 45 minutes.
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Our Mercedes V-Class is licensed for 7 passengers, but with a full set of airport luggage the realistic working number is 6 people plus their bags. If you are travelling light we can take 7. Tell us your group size and luggage when you book and we will be straight with you about what fits.
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Yes. EMA charge £5 for 15 minutes in the Rapid Drop-Off zone, and that is already included in the price we quote you. The zone is barrierless, so there is no barrier to stop at and nothing to pay on the way out. Cameras read the number plate and the charge has to be paid online or by phone by 23:59 the next day, or it becomes £100, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days. We deal with that on every transfer, so you never have to think about it.