Estacionamiento Principal

Two-minute walk from the UIO terminal, pay USD 11 per day

Estacionamiento Principal at Quito Mariscal Sucre (UIO) sits directly in front of the terminal, across the road from departures, and is classed as the airport’s short-stay option. Daily pricing currently runs around USD 11.00, which locals on r/ecuador call expensive but worth it when you land around midnight and don’t want to deal with hotel shuttles.

The lot is next to the terminal doors, so even the furthest marked spaces are only a couple of minutes’ walk on airport property, with no external roads to cross and no shuttle buses involved. One Quito-based flyer described it as “just outside the terminal, very easy if someone is dropping you or if you leave the car a couple of days,” which lines up with reports that both short- and long-term parking sit just outside the main building.

Drive-up rates are not consistently published: third‑party guides usually say “adjacent to the terminal” but skip the number, and locals often ask friends to send a photo of the current tariff board. Regulars even snap that board themselves on each trip to track changes, since the airport website can lag behind real pricing and the headline USD 11 figure may shift without much notice.

Complaints focus on two things: lane markings and language. A TripAdvisor user mentioned being unsure where the long‑term section began, with most signs in Spanish only, and worried about a ticket for parking in the wrong row. Google Maps reviews also mention slow exit queues when several late‑night arrivals hit at once and only one or two booths are staffed, so factor in an extra 10–15 minutes before your planned departure.

Local frequent flyers tend to avoid leaving a car for a full 7‑day trip here and instead use taxis or a friend for drop‑off, saving Estacionamiento Principal for pickups and 1–2 day getaways. Practical move: on arrival, drive past once, note the section labels, and snap a quick photo of the tariff and exit booths before you lock the car.