Drop-off charges at UK and island airports
What it costs to drop someone off at the terminal, airport by airport. Each figure comes from the airport’s own website, with the date it was read.
The short answer
23 of the 35 airports here charge you to stop at the terminal drop-off zone. 9 let you drop off free (Exeter, Inverness, Humberside, Newquay, Kirkwall, Sumburgh, Stornoway, Jersey and the Isle of Man). At Sumburgh and the Isle of Man no time is given for it. At Exeter, Inverness, Humberside, Newquay, Kirkwall, Stornoway and Jersey the free time is in a car park. At City of Derry there is no checked price for the drop-off zone, so the table shows the car park price. Cardiff and Guernsey publish no drop-off price that could be read and checked.
Of the airports that charge, and whose own pages agree on one figure, the dearest to pull in is £10 (Gatwick and Stansted) and the cheapest is £2.50 (Teesside). Per minute the order changes, because the same money buys very different amounts of time. Of those airports, the dearest is £1.60 a minute at London City, where £8 buys 5 minutes. The cheapest is 8p a minute at Prestwick, where £4.50 buys 1 hour.
6 airports’ own pages give two different answers to what it costs (Manchester, Luton, Birmingham, Glasgow, East Midlands and Southampton). They are not ranked above, because their pages give more than one figure. The table shows each of these answers with the page it is on. Heathrow has no per-minute figure either. Its charge is for entering, and it publishes no time with it.
Every charge below was read on the airport’s own website between 6 Oct 2026 and 2 Nov 2026. Charges change with little notice. The link beside each charge takes you to the airport’s own page.
Each airport’s drop-off charge
Read your own airport’s row. The charge is what the airport asks for stopping at the drop-off or set-down zone it provides at the terminal, from the moment you pull in. What a car park charges is a parking price, not a drop-off charge. Where the airport’s own drop-off area is in a car park, as at Norwich, Prestwick and Newcastle, the row shows the price it gives for that area. Beyond that, a car park appears in the charge column in only two cases, and the row says so each time. One is where the airport’s own drop-off period is in it (“Where:”). The other is where there is no checked price for the drop-off zone, so the table shows the car park price (“in its car park”).
The price a minute is the charge divided by the time it buys, to the nearest penny. A charge means little until you know how long it buys. No airport publishes this figure. It is worked out here.
| Airport | Drop-off charge | What it buys | A minute | Free or cheaper alternative | If you stay longer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | £7 Heathrow Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | Each time you enter, no time published | No time published | 30 minutes free at the Park & Ride car parksor 29 minutes free Pages differ How long is free depends on the page. Heathrow AirportHeathrow Airportchecked 7 Oct 2026 The airport says: “this facility is not available to private hire and trade vehicles” Heathrow Airportchecked 2 Nov 2026 For taxis and private hire, the airport says: “Drop-offs can be made for free in Heathrow’s Park & Ride car parks, where passengers can take a free bus transfer to the terminal” Heathrow Airportchecked 2 Nov 2026 Pages differ Who can use this depends on the page. The airport says: “re-entry to the Park & Ride car park will then be prohibited in the following 24 hours” Heathrow Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 At Terminal 4 Park & Ride, the airport says: “with stays of up to two hours in Zone A being free of charge” Heathrow Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 The same page also says: “Stays of under 30-minutes are available free of charge, with stays between 30-minutes and 2 hours starting from £9.40” Heathrow Airportchecked 7 Oct 2026 That page gives both answers on how long is free. | See the airport’s own page |
| Gatwick | 10 minutes | £1.00 | 2 hours free at the North Terminal Long Stay car park London Gatwick Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 | £1 a minute after that, up to £30, 30 minutes maximum stay London Gatwick Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | |
| Manchester | £5.50 for 5 minutes Manchester Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 £5 for 5 minutes Manchester Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 Pages differ Its own pages give both. Neither is picked here. | 5 minutes | £1.10£1.00 | 1 hour free at the Free Drop Off area Manchester Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 | 30 minutes maximum stay Manchester Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 |
| Stansted | 15 minutes | 67p | 1 hour free at the Mid Stay car park London Stansted Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 The airport says: “Please note, there will be a £48 charge for re-entering within 1 hour of first entering the car park” London Stansted Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 | £28 over 15 minutes, 30 minutes maximum stay London Stansted Airportchecked 31 Oct 2026 | |
| Luton | Pages differ Its own pages give both. Neither is picked here. | 12 minutesor 10 minutes | 75p70p | 2 hours free at the Long Stay Car Park London Luton Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 | A £95.00 enforcement charge is payable by drivers who stay past 30 minutes. This charge is reduced to £55.00 if paid within 14 days. London Luton Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 |
| Birmingham | £7 for 15 minutes Birmingham Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 Pages differ The airport changed this on 6 Aug 2026. The newer price is £8 for 15 minutes. One page still shows the old price. | 15 minutes | 53p | 10 minutes free at the Drop Off car park No return within the hour Birmingham Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | See the airport’s own page |
| Edinburgh | £8.50 Edinburgh Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | 10 minutes | 85p | 30 minutes free at the Free Pickup & Dropoff area Edinburgh Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | £1 a minute after that Edinburgh Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 |
| Glasgow | £7 for 15 minutes Glasgow Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 £5 for 15 minutes Glasgow Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 Pages differ Its own pages give both. Neither is picked here. | 15 minutes | 47p33p | 30 minutes freeor 1 hour free Pages differ How long is free depends on the page. Glasgow Airportchecked 7 Oct 2026 Glasgow Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 | £1 a minute after that, £50 after 30 minutes Glasgow Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 |
| Bristol | £8.50 Bristol Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | 10 minutes | 85p | 1 hour free at the Waiting Zone No return within 30 minutes Bristol Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | See the airport’s own page |
| Belfast International | £5 Belfast International Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | 10 minutes | 50p | 15 minutes free at the Long Stay Car Park Belfast International Airportchecked 31 Oct 2026 | £60 over 1 hour Belfast International Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 |
| Liverpool | £7 Liverpool John Lennon Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | 10 minutes | 70p | 20 minutes free at Drop-off 2 Only free once every 2 hours Liverpool John Lennon Airportchecked 12 Oct 2026 | See the airport’s own page |
| Newcastle | £6 Newcastle Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | 10 minutes | 60p | 90 minutes free at the Airport Waiting Zone Newcastle Airportchecked 7 Oct 2026 | See the airport’s own page |
| London City | £8 London City Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | 5 minutes | £1.60 | See the airport’s own page | £1 a minute after that, 10 minutes maximum stay London City Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 |
| Leeds Bradford | £8 Leeds Bradford Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | 10 minutes | 80p | 1 hour free at the One Hour Free Parking Zone One visit only Leeds Bradford Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 | See the airport’s own page |
| East Midlands | £5 for 15 minutes East Midlands Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 Pages differ The airport changed this on 29 Sep 2026. The newer price is £8 for 10 minutes. One page still shows the old price. | 10 minutesor 15 minutes | 80p | 1 hour free at the Long Stay 2 car park The airport says: “Long Stay 2 is subject to availability” East Midlands AirportEast Midlands Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 | 30 minutes maximum stay East Midlands Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 |
| Cardiff | Not published By 30 October 2026 the airport had replaced its website. The page that gave a drop-off charge is gone. No drop-off price could be read and checked on the new site. | — | — | Not published | Not published |
| Aberdeen | £7 Aberdeen Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | 15 minutes | 47p | 1 hour freeor 30 minutes free Pages differ How long is free depends on the page. Aberdeen AirportAberdeen Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 | If drivers choose to stay in the Express Drop-off for longer than 15 minutes, they will pay a premium charge on exit Aberdeen Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 |
| Southampton | £7 for 20 minutes Southampton Airportchecked 12 Oct 2026 £7 for 15 minutes Southampton Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 Pages differ Its own pages give both. Neither is picked here. | 20 minutesor 15 minutes | 35p47p | See the airport’s own page | 20 minutes maximum stay Southampton Airportchecked 12 Oct 2026 |
| Belfast City | £4 Belfast City Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | 10 minutes | 40p | 10 minutes free at the Long Stay Car Park Belfast City Airportchecked 2 Nov 2026 The airport says: “If you exit the Long Stay Car Park and re‑enter within 15 minutes, a minimum charge of £8.00 will automatically apply” Belfast City Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 | 10 minutes maximum stay Belfast City Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 |
| Exeter | 30 minutes | Free | The free period above is in the airport’s car park | See the airport’s own page | |
| Bournemouth | £8 Bournemouth Airportchecked 7 Oct 2026 | 30 minutes | 27p | See the airport’s own page | 4 hours maximum stay Bournemouth Airportchecked 7 Oct 2026 |
| Inverness | FreeWhere: One of its Short Stay car parks Inverness Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 and one other page of its site | 15 minutes | Free | The free period above is in the airport’s car park The airport says: “No return within one hour” Inverness Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 | Beyond this time, standard car parking charges apply. No return within one hour. Inverness Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 |
| Humberside | 15 minutes | Free | The free period above is in the airport’s car park | See the airport’s own page | |
| Teesside | £2.50 Teesside International Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | 10 minutes | 25p | 2 hours free at the drop-off car park Only free for up to 2 hours if you spend at least £5 in the Landside Café or landside terminal shops Teesside International Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | See the airport’s own page |
| Norwich | 20 minutes | 40p | See the airport’s own page | See the airport’s own page | |
| Prestwick | £4.50 Glasgow Prestwick Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | 1 hour | 8p | See the airport’s own page | See the airport’s own page |
| Southend | £8 London Southend Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | Up to 10 minutes, charged per visit | 80p | See the airport’s own page | If you remain in Express Pick-up and Drop-off for longer than 10 minutes, a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) will be issued. London Southend Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 |
| Newquay | 10 minutes | Free | The free period above is in the airport’s car park | See the airport’s own page | |
| City of Derry | £1 for 20 minutes in its car park There is no checked price for the drop-off zone itself. City of Derry Airportchecked 11 Oct 2026 | — | — | 2 hours free at the Blue Badge designated bays Only for dropping off or picking up passengers City of Derry Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026 | See the airport’s own page |
| Kirkwall | 2 hours | Free | The free period above is in the airport’s car park | £3 per 24 hours thereafter Kirkwall Airportchecked 22 Oct 2026 | |
| Sumburgh | Free Sumburgh Airportchecked 22 Oct 2026 | No time published | Free | The drop-off zone itself is free, as above | See the airport’s own page |
| Stornoway | 2 hours | Free | The free period above is in the airport’s car park | £3 per 24 hours thereafter Stornoway Airportchecked 22 Oct 2026 | |
| Jersey | 45 minutes | Free | The free period above is in the airport’s car park | See the airport’s own page | |
| Guernsey | Not published No drop-off price could be read and checked on the airport’s own pages. | — | — | 30 minutes free at the airport's two car parks Guernsey Airportchecked 22 Oct 2026 | See the airport’s own page |
| Isle of Man | Free Isle of Man Airportchecked 22 Oct 2026 | No time published | Free | The drop-off zone itself is free, as above | See the airport’s own page |
Airport names link to that airport’s own guide.
Where an airport’s own pages disagree
These 6 airports give more than one answer on the drop-off charge on their own websites. Each is shown with the page it is on. Where the airport dates a change, the row says which price is newer. Where it does not, neither is picked.
- Pages differManchester
£5.50 for 5 minutes, against £5 for 5 minutes. Both are on Manchester Airport’s own website.
Manchester AirportManchester Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026
- Pages differLuton
£9 for 12 minutes, against £7 for 10 minutes. Both are on London Luton Airport’s own website.
London Luton AirportLondon Luton Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026
- Pages differBirmingham
£8 for 15 minutes, against £7 for 15 minutes. Both are on Birmingham Airport’s own website. The airport changed this on 6 Aug 2026: £8 for 15 minutes is the newer price.
Birmingham AirportBirmingham Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026
- Pages differGlasgow
£7 for 15 minutes, against £5 for 15 minutes. Both are on Glasgow Airport’s own website.
Glasgow AirportGlasgow Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026
- Pages differEast Midlands
£8 for 10 minutes, against £5 for 15 minutes. Both are on East Midlands Airport’s own website. The airport changed this on 29 Sep 2026: £8 for 10 minutes is the newer price.
East Midlands AirportEast Midlands Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026
- Pages differSouthampton
£7 for 20 minutes, against £7 for 15 minutes. Both are on Southampton Airport’s own website.
Southampton AirportSouthampton Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026
What has changed, and when
Here are 7 dated changes from the airports’ own pages, from 7 of the 35 airports. An airport not listed may still have changed its charge. They are not a history of drop-off charges, and they do not show a trend. An airport is here only because one of its pages says when its charge changed or when the current one started.
- East Midlands
29 Sep 2026
Charges for the Rapid Drop Off area at East Midlands Airport will change: £8 for stays up to 10 minutes.
In force since 29 Sep 2026.
East Midlands Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026
- Liverpool
1 Sep 2026
“From 1 September 2026, the initial up to 10 minutes period will be subject of an increase to £7.00.”
In force since 1 Sep 2026.
Liverpool John Lennon Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026
- Birmingham
6 Aug 2026
“From 9:00am on the 6 August 2026 there will be an increase of £1 to our Premium Set Down and Drop Off Car Park tariffs.”
In force since 6 Aug 2026.
Birmingham Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026
- Stansted
19 Mar 2026
Express Set Down charges: £10 up to 15 minutes, £28 over 15 minutes
In force since 19 Mar 2026.
London Stansted Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026
- Bristol
5 Jan 2026
Drop Off & Pick Up rises from £7 to £8.50 for a 10-minute stay
In force since 5 Jan 2026.
Bristol Airportchecked 7 Oct 2026
- Heathrow
1 Jan 2026
“From 1st January 2026, Heathrow's Terminal Drop-Off Charge has increased from £6 to £7 per visit.”
In force since 1 Jan 2026.
Heathrow Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026
- Teesside
Jun 2021
£2.50 drop-off fee introduced June 2021
In force since Jun 2021.
Teesside International Airportchecked 6 Oct 2026
How this page is made
Every charge and time comes from a page on the airport’s own website. Each is read, checked a second time against that page, and stored with the date it was read. Nothing here is an estimate, a forum answer or another comparison site’s number. The same facts sit behind each airport’s own guide, which quotes them in the airport’s words.
Three things are never shown as a drop-off charge on this page:
- An overstay charge or penalty. It is in the last column, in the airport’s own terms, and never in the price columns. A new national code, where it applies, would cap the parking charge for breaking a site’s terms at £100 and add grounds to appeal. It does not set drop-off prices or overstay tariffs. It names airport drop-off zones, but whether it covers a given airport is an open question. It is not law yet, and the grace period being reported may not apply at a forecourt. See what the new parking rules do at an airport.
- A car park’s price. Short stay, long stay and terminal car parks let you drop someone off, but their prices are parking prices. A car park appears only where it is the free or cheaper alternative, holds the airport’s own drop-off period, or is shown because there is no checked price for the drop-off zone. The row names it each time. A drop-off area inside a car park is shown at its own drop-off price.
- A rate for later minutes. The charge is what you pay to pull in, so a per-minute rate after the first period, a day rate or a re-entry charge is never shown as the drop-off charge.
Some figures depend on who you are or what you buy, such as a Blue Badge concession or a free period that needs a receipt. These are labelled with that condition and never shown as the price for everyone. This may not be every charge at every airport. It is what 35 airports’ own pages said on the dates in the table. Where no usable charge was found, the row says so.
If something looks out of date, use the contact page. Every report is checked against the airport’s page before anything changes here. This site is not an airport, a car park operator or a government service, and it sets none of these charges.
Questions
Which airport has the dearest drop-off charge?
Among the airports that charge and whose own pages agree on one figure, Gatwick and Stansted charge the most to pull in, at £10. By the minute it is London City: £8 buys 5 minutes, which is £1.60 a minute. 6 airports publish two different figures on their own websites, so they are not ranked.
Can you still drop someone off free at the airport?
At Exeter, Inverness, Humberside, Newquay, Kirkwall, Sumburgh, Stornoway, Jersey and the Isle of Man the airport's own pages say you can drop off free. At Sumburgh and the Isle of Man no time is given for it. At Exeter, Inverness, Humberside, Newquay, Kirkwall, Stornoway and Jersey that free time is in a car park. 23 other airports charge at the terminal. Most of those publish somewhere further out where stopping is free for a while, such as a long stay, mid stay or park and ride car park. The table gives that alternative, and the page it is on, for every airport where one was found.
Why does one airport show two different figures on this page?
Because the airport publishes two. Where an airport's own pages give different figures for the charge to pull in, both are shown with a link to each page. Manchester, Luton, Birmingham, Glasgow, East Midlands and Southampton all do this today.
What happens if I stay longer than the drop-off time?
That depends on the airport. See the last column of the table. Some charge by the minute after the free or paid period, some add a flat charge, and some issue a parking charge notice. An overstay charge is never counted as the drop-off price here, because it is for staying longer, not for dropping off.
How current are these drop-off charges?
Every charge shows the date it was read on the airport's own page. The ones here were read between 6 Oct 2026 and 2 Nov 2026. Airports change these charges with little notice, and they are re-read, never guessed. If a figure looks out of date, the link beside it goes to the page that settles it.