Heathrow raising its drop-off charge for drivers labelled ‘unjustifiable’

Drivers have hit out after Heathrow Airport decided to raise its drop-off fee and shorten the permitted wait time.

Airports across the UK have recently increased their drop-off charges for motorists, including taxis, meaning drivers will soon pay £7 to stop for just a few minutes at all London airports.

Heathrow will introduce a £7 drop-off charge in the new year, and a maximum stay limit of 10 minutes.

Motoring campaigners and taxi drivers have criticised the steady fee increases at major airports, saying passengers will have to shoulder the costs, and that many taxis will skip airport jobs because of higher fees.

How much is the Heathrow drop-off charge?

Drivers pay £6 to enter the kiss-and-fly zone at the moment, but the charge will rise by £1 from January 1.

Vehicles can stay in the zone for a maximum of 10 minutes. Staying any longer will result in an £80 Parking Charge Notice (PCN), which is reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days.

The new rate will put Heathrow on the same level as Gatwick, Stansted and Luton Airports, where drivers already pay £7 to drop off.

It comes after Heathrow already introduced a £1 increase in January this year. The drop-off fee was first introduced in 2021, when it was £5 initially.

Gatwick raised the drop-off fee this summer to £7 in a bid to encourage more people to choose public transport to travel to the airport as part of its expansion plan.

Zamir Dreni, a private hire taxi driver in London, labelled the latest fee increase at Heathrow as ‘unfair,’ and accused it of being a ‘moneymaker.’

He told Metro: ‘How can you justify that? Next year, is it going to increase again and again? It is a moneymaker, there is no other way to polish it. An easy scheme to make as much money as possible.

‘I avoid Heathrow and other airports as much as I can, and so many other drivers I know do as well.

‘The price is going to be passed down to the passenger. It is completely unfair what all the airports are doing – Gatwick has raised their prices, Heathrow, Luton, and Stansted.

‘People are going to need to be dropped off. To me, it is an unjustifiable charge. They are charging enough for pick-ups, which is £7.50.’

He said the 10-minute stay limit is stressful for taxi drivers, especially with passengers who require longer and more help to exit the car like wheelchair users and families with suitcases. The 10-minute limit can be easily exceeded when queueing to get out of the zone, he argued.

Other drivers commented on the upcoming raise on social media.

One said: ‘40% cost increase in two years. How do you justify that? In line with inflation sure, but just putting it up by a quid a year has no justification.’

Another one said: ‘This is unacceptable. Charging £7 just to drop someone off is ridiculous. As one of the UK’s leading airports, you should be improving the passenger experience—not taking advantage of people with unnecessary fees.’

A Heathrow spokesperson told Metro: ‘This change brings Heathrow’s Terminal Drop-Off Charge (TDOC) in line with other major UK airports and plays a key role in our sustainability strategy.

‘It helps reduce congestion, encourages public transport use, and ensures our forecourts are used for their intended purposes. Free drop-off and pick-up options remain available for all terminals at all our Park & Ride car parks.’

Why is Heathrow Airport limiting how long drivers can stay in the drop-off zone?

Heathrow said the 10-minute maximum stay across all terminal drop-off forecourts is introduced to ease congestion and improve traffic flow.

This is expected to improve the customer experience for people using the drop-off, it said.

Blue Badge holders will not be held to the time limit as long as they have registered their trip. Blue Badge holders can also get a 100% discount on the terminal drop-off charge.

To pick up passengers, drivers should use the Terminal Parking area or the Park & Ride car parks, which are served by a free bus shuttle.

A Heathrow spokesperson said the 10-minute stay is introduced ‘to smooth traffic flow and reduce congestion.

‘95% of passenger visits are under 10 minutes,’ they said.

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