Motorists dropping off friends and family as they go on holiday this summer have been paying through the nose in airport drop-off fees. The average cost of dropping off passengers at UK airports has risen by a third since last year.
Research by the RAC has uncovered that 16 of the UK’s 20 busiest airports have hiked their drop-off fees in the last 12 months. On average using a so-called ‘kiss and fly’ zone will now set you back £7 for as little as 10 to 15 minutes – £1.70 more than the average in summer 2025.
As you might expect, London’s airports are by far the most expensive in this regard; Gatwick and Stansted charge £10 for 10 minutes and 15 minutes respectively. London City charges uses an eye-water £8 for just five minutes of parking – the equivalent of £1.60 per minute – while the UK’s busiest airport, Heathrow, demands a more reasonable (but nonetheless still expensive) £7 for its drop-off service. That said, Heathrow doesn’t allow waiting around in its drop-off zones; drivers must let their passengers out and then leave immediately.
Looking outside of the capital, Manchester Airport’s drop-off charge is £5.50 for five minutes, while Edinburgh and Bristol both demand £8.50 for 10 minutes of usage. Forgetting to or deliberately avoiding paying any of these charges can result in a fine of up to £100.
UK Airport drop-off fees for summer 2026
| Airport | Drop-off fee | Time Allowed |
| London Gatwick | £10.00 | 10 mins |
| London Stansted | £10.00 | 15 mins |
| Edinburgh | £8.50 | 10 mins |
| Bristol | £8.50 | 10 mins |
| Leeds Bradford | £8.00 | 10 mins |
| London City | £8.00 | 5 mins |
| Bournemouth | £8.00 | 30 mins |
| London Heathrow* | £7.00 | N/A (Drop off & immediate departure) |
| London Luton | £7.00 | 10 mins |
| Birmingham | £7.00 | 15 mins |
| Glasgow | £7.00 | 15 mins |
| Aberdeen | £7.00 | 15 mins |
| Southampton | £7.00 | 20 mins |
| Newcastle | £6.00 | 10 mins |
| Liverpool John Lennon | £6.00 | 10 mins |
| Manchester | £5.50 | 5 mins |
| Belfast International | £5.00 | 10 mins |
| East Midlands | £5.00 | 15 mins |
| Cardiff Wales | £4.50 | 10 mins |
| Belfast City | £4.00 | 10 mins |
The RAC’s senior policy officer, Rod Dennis, called the rise in charges “disappointing”, stating that “Having a captive audience should be no excuse for these ‘farewell fees’ – especially when they’re completely at odds with how major airports around the world operate. Of course, airports need to manage the limited space they have carefully, but if free, convenient drop-off zones work at so many other international airports then why not here?”
Why have airport drop-off fees been introduced?
Many airports claim that as well as avoiding congestion, drop-off charges are also designed to help reduce local air pollution. Following the airport’s increase in drop-off charges in March of this year, a Stansted Airport spokesperson told Auto Express: “Since being introduced in 2012, Express Set Down charges have been designed to tackle ‘kiss and fly’ journeys, which are the least sustainable way of accessing the airport, involving four car journeys per flight. Reducing the number of cars accessing the space immediately in front of the terminal also helps manage congestion in a capacity-restricted area.”
However, CEO of the Business Travel Association, Clive Wratten, was keen to point out that “The main issue is that airports are not providing meaningful or practical alternatives. Encouraging greater use of public transport is absolutely the right ambition, but early departures, late-night arrivals and frankly, poor public transport in many parts of the country often make being dropped off the only realistic option.”
“If these charges were genuinely about changing behaviour, we’d expect to see greater investment in public transport and incentives for lower-emission vehicles, rather than relying on passengers to foot the bill,” said Wratten.
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