With British airports Heathrow and Gatwick both landing among the top 10 busiest airports in Europe, the two have also struggled to decrease the flow of traffic around the areas where drivers drop off passengers.

Following a similar decision made at Heathrow (LHR) earlier this year, Gatwick Airport (LGW) in the West Sussex county south of central London is also raising the price of driving up to the airport without stopping.

The fee increase, which does not apply to cars operating for rideshare companies like Uber and Bolt, comes into effect on January 6 and increases the fee charged to those dropping off friends and family by 43% from £7 to £10 ($13.37 USD).

It is also a significantly bigger jump than the £6 to £7 increase implemented at Heathrow, the main London airport serving flag carriers and mainstream airlines, for next year.

“Not a decision we have taken lightly”: Gatwick Airport on price increase

“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 in the recent Budget,” an airport spokesperson said in a statement reported by BBC and other local press outlets.

Related: A major airport is cracking down on anyone dropping off travelers by car

The airport also blamed higher business rates introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves as the reason for the price increase that it’s now passing on to the airport visitors in different ways.

The increases at both Heathrow and Gatwick have been met with strong opposition from locals who regularly come to the airport. They see it as an example of price-gouging, presented as a “benefit” for passengers, or to shame people for not taking public transit to help the environment.

London Heathrow is also increasing the cost of dropping off a passenger without parking the car.

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Travelers not happy as Gatwick blames others for dropoff fee increases

“Heathrow’s decision to increase its terminal drop-off fee to £7 and introduce a strict 10-minute limit is yet another example of rising airport charges impacting the very people who keep our economy moving,” Clive Wratten, who heads the British Business Travel Association, said in a statement.

“The words ‘Happy New Year’ are unlikely to be uttered by drivers dropping off friends and family at Gatwick in January,” Rod Dennis, a senior policy advisor for British road breakdown service provider RAC, told The Independent.

“[…] 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.”

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The dropoff charge was first introduced at £5 in April 2021 and then raised to £6 in January 2024 and £7 in May 2025.

In a statement that is unlikely to bring solace to drivers affected by the price increase, Gatwick said that “passengers can still be dropped off for free in our long-stay car parks, with a free shuttle bus to the terminal” or connect through “excellent public transport connectivity at the airport, with passengers able to connect directly with more than 120 train stations.”

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