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london gatwick raising his fee to leave passengers £10 outside the terminal – much more than any other UK airport.
Britain’s second busiest country blames the increase on the doubling of its business rates bill. The current fee is £7, which is typical for most major UK airportsBut from January 6, 2026, it will increase by 43 percent.
A Gatwick spokesperson said: “This increase in the drop-off charge is not a decision we have taken lightly; however, we are facing a number of rising costs, including more than doubling our business rates in the recent budget.
,passengers It can still be left for free in our long-stay car parks, with a free shuttle bus to the terminal. Blue badge holders will be exempted from fee.
“We also have excellent public transport connectivity at the airport, with passengers able to connect directly to over 120 train stations, while numerous local bus routes serve the airport 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“The increase in drop-off fees will support wider efforts to encourage greater use of public transport, helping to limit the number of cars and reduce congestion at the entrances to our terminals, as well as funding a number of sustainable transport initiatives – such as our £1m investment in new and upgraded Metrobus routes in 2025.”
Gatwick has always had the best connectivity in the UK for public transport; It was built particularly close to the main London–Brighton railway line for good surface links.
Trains run to London every few minutes, with frequent services to Reading, to Brighton and the Sussex coast, as well as for onward journeys to Wales and the west of England.
But the increase in fees is sure to spread anger among motorists. The £10 fee represents a doubling in less than five years; When the fee was first introduced in April 2021, it was £5. The cost rises to £6 in January 2024 and £7 in May this year.
Drop-off fees will be roughly equivalent to some of the cheapest airfares from Gatwick. On the day the £10 fee starts, Wizz Air Flights to Krakow in Poland are available from £13.99.
Rod Dennis, RAC senior policy officer, said: “Drivers dropping off friends and family at Gatwick in January are unlikely to utter the words ‘Happy New Year’.
“The airport will hold the incredible record of being the most expensive by a full £3 for anyone disembarking by car. But at least the increased charge is not being introduced before Christmas. We must hope that other airports will not do the same next year.
“Drivers tell us that the main reason they use drop-off facilities at airports is to help people with heavy or bulky luggage – something that can be incredibly impractical on public transport, especially if there are elderly relatives or small children in tow.
“Sadly, it seems that drivers will have to get used to charging exorbitant sums to do this. It is worth remembering that such fees are almost unheard of at other major airports in Europe.”
Ride-hailing services like taxis and Uber are likely to add charges to passengers’ bills.
heathrow It recently announced it would be increasing its own drop-off fees to £7 from the start of 2026.
Drop-off charges were first introduced in 2007 following an attempted terrorist attack on the terminal in Glasgow, which required reconfiguring the airport concourse.
Last major airport without any fees, City of LondonThere are plans to introduce one by the end of the year.
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