Airside lorry cover
Airside lorry insurance for HGVs working at airports
Deliveries, airport works, fuel and catering. One short form puts you in touch with brokers who handle airside motor risks.
- Airport liability limits
- Aircraft and equipment damage
- Occasional visits or based airside
Quick answer
Airside lorry insurance is motor and liability cover, either an extension or a separate policy, for a goods vehicle driven in the restricted operational areas of an airport, such as aprons, stands and airside service roads. Many lorry policies exclude airside use altogether, or exclude damage to aircraft. Airports usually set their own minimum liability limit, which a road policy may not meet, before they issue a vehicle pass, so cover is normally in place before the lorry goes through the gate.
Airside lorry cover at a glance
- A standard HGV policy often stops at the airport security line unless it carries an airside extension.
- Each airport sets its own minimum liability limit for vehicles working airside, and proof is normally needed before a pass is issued.
- Contact with an aircraft, a jet bridge or ground support equipment can lead to very large repair and delay costs.
- Drivers generally need an airside driving permit, which follows airport training and a test.
- Security vetting of drivers and restricted access rules affect who can be named on the policy.
What airside lorry insurance covers
Airside cover usually sits alongside the normal lorry policy, either as an extension to it or as a separate airside liability policy, rather than replacing it. The aim is to carry the motor protection through the airport gate and to meet the liability terms the airport puts on its permit.
Kinds of airside work and what insurers look at
Insurers rate airside work on how often the lorry is inside the fence, how close it gets to aircraft and what it is doing while there.
| Airside operation | Typical work | What insurers look at |
|---|---|---|
| Occasional airside deliveries | Stock, freight and supplies to terminals, hangars and airside stores | Number of visits, escorted or unescorted access, routes used |
| Construction vehicles on airport works | Tippers and mixers on runway, apron, taxiway and terminal projects | Whether works are fenced off from live areas, night working, reversing near aircraft |
| Fuel and catering vehicles | Fuel deliveries to airport fuel depots and catering loads to aircraft doors | Time spent on stands next to aircraft, spill risk, contact with the airframe |
| Lorries based airside full time | Vehicles that rarely or never leave the airport perimeter | Airport permit terms, driver permits held, how the vehicle is kept and checked |
For the vehicle side, tipper lorry insurance, concrete mixer lorry insurance and tanker insurance explain how those lorries are covered on the road before any airside extension is added.
Airside work for your own business or for others
Airside cover builds on the base policy, so the class of use underneath it still matches the work. A contractor running its own tippers on an airport job is in a different position from a haulier delivering customers' freight to an airside warehouse.
Own goods and own contracts
Building firms, fuel suppliers and caterers moving their own materials and products usually insure for carriage of own goods, with an airside extension added. More detail sits on our own goods HGV insurance page.
Haulage for customers
Carrying other people's goods airside for payment needs haulage use on the lorry as well as the airside terms. Haulier insurance covers the base policy for this kind of work.
Which class of use fits a haulier delivering customers' goods to an airside depot?
- NoSocial, domestic and pleasureNot suited to any airside lorry work.
- NoCarriage of own goodsFits a firm moving its own stock or materials, not deliveries for paying customers.
- YesHaulage, or hire and rewardCustomers' goods taken through the airport gate for a fee, plus the airside extension.
Documents airports and brokers tend to request
An airport usually wants a certificate or letter from the insurer showing airside use and the limit it requires, along with details of each driver's airside permit and security pass. Having these to hand, together with operator licence details and the contract or permit terms, makes it simpler when you start an airside lorry quote (opens in a new tab).
What affects the price of airside lorry insurance
The airside part of the premium reflects how much damage a lorry could do in a space shared with aircraft and costly ground equipment.
Inside the airport
Distance from parked aircraft, reversing on stands, low light at night, jet blast and shared roads with tugs and buses.
Outside the airport
The normal road risks for the vehicle, its weight, body type, drivers and the miles it covers between jobs.
- The limit the airport asks forA higher indemnity limit generally costs more, and some airports set theirs well above others.
- Time spent airsideA lorry that visits now and then is rated differently from one that works inside the fence all the time.
- Proximity to aircraftCatering and fuel vehicles that work close to aircraft carry a different risk from lorries kept to works compounds. Into-plane fuelling is usually insured through specialist aviation cover.
- Driver permits and trainingDrivers holding current airside permits with airport training count in your favour.
- Claims historyAny past airside incidents carry weight, alongside the ordinary motor record.
- Number of vehiclesSeveral lorries working at one or more airports can be grouped on HGV fleet insurance.
Cover that often sits alongside airside lorry insurance
Airport contracts usually require more than motor cover. These are the policies that tend to be checked together with the airside extension.
Before you buy
Questions worth settling about airside lorry cover
Airside terms differ from one insurer to another. These points often come up with a broker before the first trip through the gate.
- Does the policy name airside use?Or does it stay silent, leaving the exclusion in the standard terms in place?
- Is the limit high enough for this airport?Each operator sets its own figure, and one contract may need more than another.
- Is aircraft damage included?Some extensions cover airport property but still exclude aircraft, or cap them separately.
- Are delay and loss of use costs covered?Grounding an aircraft can lead to claims far beyond the cost of the dent.
- Which airports are covered?Cover may be limited to named airports or to certain parts of a site.
- Who can drive airside?Some insurers want only drivers with current airside permits named on the policy.
- Is cover continuous or per contract?Occasional work may be insured trip by trip, while based vehicles need cover all year.
- Will the insurer issue the evidence the airport wants?A certificate or letter in the format the airport asks for can take time to arrange.
How it works
How to get an airside lorry insurance quote
HGV Insure is an information site, not an insurer or a broker. We link you to MyMoneyComparison.com, a comparison service that can put operators working at airports in touch with specialist brokers.
- 1
The quote form
Get my airside quote takes you to our partner, MyMoneyComparison.com.
- 2
Your lorry and the airport work
The form asks about the vehicle, its weight and body type, your operator licence and who drives. The broker then goes through the airport, the limit required and how often the lorry is airside.
- 3
Options from a broker
A specialist broker contacts you with options, subject to insurers' acceptance criteria. There is no obligation to buy.
FAQs
Airside lorry insurance FAQs
What does airside mean for a lorry?
Airside is the part of an airport beyond security screening, where aircraft park, load and move. For a lorry it means aprons, stands, airside roads and works areas, which have their own rules and speed limits and are not treated as public roads.
Does my normal HGV insurance cover me at an airport?
On the public roads around the airport and in landside car parks it usually does. Once the lorry goes airside, many policies exclude cover or exclude damage to aircraft, so an airside extension is commonly needed.
Why do airports want such high liability limits?
A lorry touching an aircraft can cause expensive structural damage and keep the aircraft on the ground, with knock-on costs for the airline and airport. Airport operators set a minimum limit in their vehicle permit terms to make sure those losses can be met.
Do drivers need a special permit to drive airside?
Generally yes. Airports issue their own airside driving permits after training on local rules, markings and radio or signal procedures, often followed by a test. Insurers commonly expect named drivers to hold one.
Is security vetting needed to work airside?
Drivers working unescorted airside normally need an airport identity pass, which follows background and employment history checks. Escorted visits may be allowed for occasional deliveries, depending on the airport.
Are tippers and mixers on airport construction projects covered differently?
Is fuel spilled on an apron covered?
Sudden and accidental spills are often covered under liability sections, with gradual leaks usually excluded. Clean-up on an apron can be costly, so the pollution terms on a tanker policy sit alongside the airside extension.
Is airside liability insurance the same as airside vehicle insurance?
Not quite. Some insurers extend the lorry's motor policy to cover airside use, while others write a standalone airside liability policy that responds to vehicle incidents on aprons, taxiways and stands. Airports generally accept either, as long as the limit and the cover for aircraft meet their permit terms.
What proof of insurance does an airport ask for?
Usually a certificate or letter from the insurer confirming airside use, the indemnity limit and that damage to aircraft is included. Some airports also want to be noted on the policy, and the paperwork is normally checked before vehicle and driver passes are issued.
Does HGV Insure sell airside lorry insurance?
No. HGV Insure is an information site and an affiliate of MyMoneyComparison.com, which matches operators with specialist brokers. When you start a quote you continue to MyMoneyComparison.com, and we may be paid a small commission if you are matched with and speak to a broker.
Ready to take your lorry airside?
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