Posted on the 12th December 2025 in PHTM News

GATWICK AIRPORT BECOMES UK'S MOST EXPENSIVE DROP-OFF ZONE WITH 43% HIKE TO £10

Gatwick Airport is set to implement a substantial hike to its passenger drop-off fee on January 6, raising the charge to £10 for 10 minutes outside the terminal.

This 43% increase from the current £7 makes Gatwick the most expensive airport in the UK for car drop-offs.

The West Sussex airport has defended the decision, citing a significant rise in its operating costs, specifically pointing to an increase in business rates levied by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

A spokeswoman for Gatwick stated: "This increase in the drop-off charge is not a decision we have taken lightly. However, we are facing a number of increasing costs, including a more than doubling of our business rates."

The airport added that the charge is intended to achieve two goals: "The increase in the drop-off charge will support wider efforts to encourage greater use of public transport, helping limit the number of cars and reduce congestion at the entrance to our terminals, alongside funding a number of sustainable transport initiatives."

The fee, which was introduced at £5 in March 2021, has steadily increased, reaching £7 in May 2025. This latest jump places it £3 higher than any other airport nationwide.

The airport is facing a major financial challenge, with its business rates bill set for an £11.9 million hike to £51.6 million in 2026-27, despite a 30% cap under transitional relief.

Rod Dennis, senior policy officer at the RAC, was critical of the move, noting that the increase is unprecedented: “A more than 40 per cent increase in the cost to drop-off is the largest we’ve ever seen and represents a doubling of the fee first introduced in 2021... It means the airport will have the unenviable record of being the most expensive for anyone dropping off by car by a whole £3.”

Mr Dennis also highlighted the difficulty this poses for certain travellers: “Drivers tell us the main reason they use drop-off facilities at airports is to help people with bulky or heavy luggage – something that can be incredibly impractical on public transport, especially if elderly relatives or young children are in tow.

"Sadly, it looks like drivers are going to have to get used to coughing up increasingly exorbitant sums for doing so.” 

He further added that drop-off fees are “almost unheard of” at major airports elsewhere in Europe.

Drop-off fees are also rising at Heathrow from 1 January from £6 to £7.

London City is the UK's last major airport without a drop-off fee, is to introduce one later this month.

Other UK airports that also currently charge a £7 drop-off fee include Stansted, Bristol, Leeds Bradford and Southampton.

For drivers wishing to avoid the £10 charge, free drop-offs remain available at the long-stay car parks, with a complimentary shuttle bus service to the terminals. Blue badge holders will remain exempt from the fee.


Read another story