Gatwick Airport drop off charges now in effect
Drivers will have to pay even if they do not park
Drivers dropping off passengers at Gatwick Airport's North Terminal now face a charge of at least £5.
The fee - in place as of yesterday (8 March) applies to all vehicles except for passengers holding a Blue Badge and for staff employed on the airport's campus.-
They will also apply at the South Terminal from 12 April, as the airport tries to recover from a massive financial hit taken during the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year Gatwick Airport reported losses of £465.5 million, with around 40% of staff being left unemployed as airlines cancelled thousands of flights due to the imposition of travel restrictions.
Jonathan Pollard, Chief Commercial Officer at Gatwick Airport, said:
âWe recognise that a drop off charge is never going to be popular with some people, however given that we have just announced losses of £465 million and a reduction of more than 40% of our workforce in 2020, we have little choice but to explore new revenue streams to help us protect the remaining jobs.
âEqually, as we consider how to rebuild better, we hope this new scheme will also encourage passengers to consider more sustainable journeys to the airport, including using our excellent public transport facilities.
"A proportion of the revenue raised through the drop off charge will be used to support new sustainable transport initiatives, in addition to the investment in our new £150 million airport train station which is progressing well.â
The charge will be £5 for 10 minutes, and £1 for each additional minute up to 20 minutes. The maximum charge will be £25 and the maximum length of stay 30 mins.
Anyone who does not wish to pay the charge will be able to drop off or pick up passengers in the airportâs long-stay car parks with two hours free parking and a free shuttle bus to the terminal.
Local commuters living in postcode sectors (RH6 0, RH6 9, RH11 0) with limited public transport access will be allowed two visits per day to use the train station by paying an annual £50 charge - after registering via the Gatwick Airport website.
People picking up passengers are being encouraged to do so from the short stay car parks as it often takes more time to collect passengers. Short stay car park users are permitted a 30-minute stay for the same tariff (£5) as 10 minutes on the forecourts.
Alternatively, passengers can be picked up in the long stay car parks where parking is free for up to two hours, using the free shuttle bus from the Terminal.
Passengers can pay online using a range of payment methods including credit or debit card, Google and Apple Pay.