London City Airport introduces drop-off fee

London City Airport has introduced a drop-off fee, ending its status as the last London airport without such a charge.

The fee will be £8 for up to five minutes, then £1 per additional minute, with a maximum stay of 10 minutes.

The east London airport said the move was intended "to encourage more travel to and from the airport via public and sustainable transport modes".

London City Airport said Blue Badge-holders would be exempt, and currently the fee does not apply for black cabs. Transport for London (TfL) is considering a proposal from London City to include the charge in the meter fare, in line with TfL's agreement with other major airports.

Meanwhile, Gatwick Airport has raised its drop-off fee from £7 to £10 for 10 minutes, blaming "increasing costs, including a more than doubling of our business rates" for the change.

This means Gatwick will overtake Bristol and become the most expensive for drop-off and pick-up parking in England.

Gatwick said passengers could still be dropped off free of charge in its long-stay car park, where a free shuttle bus runs to the terminal.

It claims the increased charge will help promote greater use of public transport, reduce congestion at terminal entrances and fund sustainable transport projects, including a £1m investment in new Metrobus routes planned for 2025.

Heathrow also increased its drop-off fee by £1, from £6 to £7, on New Year's Day.

Such a fee exists at other London airports but prices have not risen recently. Blue Badge-holders remain exempt at all London airports.

Clive Wratten, chief executive of the Business Travel Association, said airports were "pulling the easiest revenue lever" by increasing parking fees.

He added that public transport was often not a viable alternative.

"Pricing people out at the kerbside does not suddenly make public transport viable," he said.

"We urgently need a more co-ordinated, transparent approach that puts fairness, access and real-world travel behaviour ahead of short-term revenue grabs."

A government spokesperson said: "Airports are responsible for setting their own parking terms but must follow consumer law and justify their charges.

"We're delivering a £4.3bn support package to cap business rates bill increases at 30% before other reliefs for the largest properties, including airports. Without intervention those would be up to 500%."

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