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About Exeter Airport

Introduction to Exeter

Exeter Airport is a small, single-terminal airport at Clyst Honiton, about 5–6 miles east of Exeter, serving much of Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset. It handles a few hundred thousand passengers a year and is steadily rebuilding towards the 0.5–1 million mark after the pandemic. Everything is under one roof: check-in and arrivals are on the ground floor, with security, departures and gates above. As a rough guide, most airlines suggest arriving around 1½–2 hours before departure, and if you’re using Long Stay or Park & Ride–style parking, it’s sensible to allow extra time to park and transfer. Long-stay car parks are a short shuttle ride away (typically around 3–5 minutes), while the closer car parks are a few minutes’ walk from the terminal.

1. How to get to Exeter Airport?

You’ve basically got four main ways to reach Exeter Airport:

Bus & coach

• Stagecoach 4 / 4A – Core bus routes linking Exeter Airport with Exeter St David’s railway station, the city centre, the University and Cranbrook, running daily from early until late (with reduced service at weekends/bank holidays).
• Stagecoach 43 – Connects the airport with Pinhoe rail station and nearby suburbs, useful if you’re on the eastern side of the city.
• Other / longer-distance coaches – Intercity coach services generally call at Exeter city centre or services on the M5/A30 rather than the airport itself, so you’d normally connect by local bus or taxi for the final leg.

Train + bus / taxi

• There’s no rail station at the terminal. The mainline hub is Exeter St David’s, with frequent trains to London Paddington, London Waterloo, Bristol, Plymouth, Cornwall and beyond. Exeter Central and Pinhoe stations also serve parts of the city and suburbs.
• From St David’s or Exeter Central, you can take the 4 / 4A bus directly to the airport; from Pinhoe you can use the 43 bus or a short taxi ride.
• Many travellers coming from further afield (e.g. Torbay, North Devon, Cornwall) use the train into Exeter, then switch to bus or taxi for the final 15–25 minutes to the airport.

Car

• Exeter Airport is on the eastern outskirts of the city, just off the A30 dual carriageway, around a mile from its junction with the M5 (near junction 29). That gives straightforward road access from most of Devon and the wider South West.
• Official on-airport parking is split into several car parks:
  • P1 / P2 Short Stay – Close to the terminal for drop-offs, short trips and those who want a very short walk.
  • P3 / P4 Long Stay – Longer-stay car parks slightly further out; P3 is usually within walking distance, while P4 and some long-stay options use a shuttle bus of around 3–5 minutes.
  • Independent off-airport Park & Ride options are also available nearby and can sometimes be cheaper for longer trips.

Taxi / private hire

• Local taxi firms and pre-booked private-hire cars serve Exeter, Exmouth, Honiton, Sidmouth and the wider area, with a designated drop-off/pick-up area near the terminal. For shorter journeys or groups of 3–4 people, the total cost can be comparable to a week’s parking; for longer distances, driving and parking is often cheaper overall, especially if you share costs between several travellers.

2. Choosing the right transport for you?

Whether you choose public transport, to drive, or to take a taxi will come down to a mix of cost, convenience and how you feel about risk and faff. Only you can balance those, and it may change every time you fly – but it’s worth thinking about a few things:

Do a price comparison

You might assume driving and parking is always the most expensive option – but that’s not always true. There are secure, trusted on-airport car parks at Exeter plus third-party options nearby, and they can be very competitive if you book in advance. Do your due diligence and check train, bus and taxi prices – but then run a quick search above for parking. It takes less than a minute and you may be pleasantly surprised.

Delays

Think about what happens if your flight is delayed.

• With parking, you may pay an extra hour or day if you overstay.
• With trains and buses, if you miss your booked service and don’t have a flexible ticket, you’re often buying a completely new ticket at walk-up prices – and late-evening services on some routes can be infrequent.

Your car, on the other hand, is always “parked and waiting” when you land.

• How close is your flight to the time of your last bus or train connection? If a one-hour delay means you miss the last service and end up paying for an expensive taxi home, would driving and parking have been cheaper and less stressful overall?

Total costs

• There may be a cheap advance rail or bus fare, but how much are you spending on taxis at either end, especially if you’re travelling at awkward times or with luggage/kids?
• How much longer does it take on public transport? If you have to take extra time off work just to make it work, then add that to the bill.

Stress & peace of mind

Are you going to stay awake all night worrying whether your early-morning taxi will arrive, or whether your bus or train will connect smoothly with your flight?
If so, driving yourself might be the more relaxed option.

Safety

If you’ve got a long drive after a long flight – or you’d like a couple of drinks on board – public transport or an overnight hotel with parking might be the safer choice.

Convenience & luggage

How much lugging is involved? With public transport you may be wrestling multiple cases through Exeter’s city-centre streets, onto buses and trains, and up and down steps. With parking, you load the car once and unload once at the terminal or car park. For families, groups or anyone with mobility issues, that simplicity can be worth paying for.

Total time

At Airport Parking Shop, we like a bargain as much as the next person – that’s why we started the site – but time matters too. Will public transport add an extra hour or two to your journey and how is that going to make you feel?

Where will you be dropped off?

At Exeter, cars and taxis do well: the on-airport car parks are close to the terminal and taxis can drop you just outside. If you’re driving you can get near-terminal parking in the Short Stay or closer Long Stay car parks; if you opt for a cheaper off-airport Park & Ride or hotel-and-parking deal, factor in a short transfer.

Which kind of parking is right for me?

So, you’ve decided to park at or near Exeter Airport – or at least want to understand the options before you commit. Good news: we’ve all the answers in the tab to left, Parking Options.

Here’s what you’ll find there – and how it helps you decide:

• Park & Ride, Short Stay and Meet & Greet
  • Rough price differences and when to choose each one.
• How far in advance to book to get the lowest prices
  • Typical patterns for Exeter – how prices tend to move if you book a day before vs a week or a month before departure.
• Official vs third-party car parks
  • What they both mean and which one is usually cheaper.
• Key features behind the headline price
  • Walking distance vs shuttle time.
  • Whether you keep your keys or hand them in.
  • Height limits, EV charging, Blue Badge bays and security features that can make a “cheap” price either a bargain or a false economy.
• Personalised feature comparison tables
  • For Exeter, we show the main car parks side by side, with all their key features, so you can see what you’re actually getting for your money.
• More pricing detail
  • Average price comparisons for short stays vs Long Stay / Park & Ride.
  • How costs change if you book 1 day, 1 week or 1 month in advance.
  • Official vs third-party averages, so you can spot when an “official” car park is good value and when an independent option wins.

More Exeter Airport info

If you want to go beyond transport and parking, our sister site Exeter Airport Guide has more detail on:

• terminal facilities and airport layout
• shopping, bars and restaurants
• live departures and arrivals
• taxis and car hire
• nearby airport hotels

It’s a handy place to plan the rest of your journey once you’ve sorted how you’re getting to the airport.