A report by the RAC motoring group has confirmed that drop-off fees charged by most UK airports have risen by up to 30% in the last year. Out of the 20 busiest airports, 16 had put up their prices since 2025.

The most expensive UK airport when dropping off passengers is London City Airport, which now charges £8 for 5 minutes.

Gatwick charges £10 for 10 minutes for what it calls a “farewell fee” and £10 for 15 minutes at its “express set down” outside the departures hall.

Birmingham was found to be the cheapest, which charges £7 for 15 minutes.

However, in stark contrast, none of the top 10 airports in the European Union charge for drop-offs.

Airports UK, the trade body, said that fees were part of airports’ business models and climate change objectives.

A  word of warning, though, for drivers dropping off at airports concerns the barrierless “park now, pay later” drop-off zones, as they could face a parking charge notice if they failed to pay online or by phone within a certain period of time.

It is acknowledged that UK airports generally offer other options for setting people down at locations further from the terminal, sometimes with free shuttle buses.