Gatwick Airport to charge for passenger drop-offs

Gatwick Airport has announced plans to charge people dropping off passengers directly outside its terminals.
Gatwick South Terminal - Picture: Steve RobardsGatwick South Terminal - Picture: Steve Robards
Gatwick South Terminal - Picture: Steve Robards

At present cars are permitted to drop off passengers directly in front of both terminals for free, but the airport is now looking at charging £5 for ten minutes.

Jonathan Pollard, chief commercial officer, said: “Gatwick has just gone through the most challenging period in its history and this new drop off charging scheme will give us a new revenue stream to aid recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and ultimately help us continue as an important provider of economic prosperity and jobs across the region.”

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Those picking up passengers will still be required to use the short stay car park.

The charge also applies to taxis with the charge be passed on to their customers.

Its aim is to encourage passengers to look at more sustainable travel to the airport, while reducing the amount of ‘Kiss and Fly' journeys. Currently around 15 per cent of airport journeys are ‘Kiss and Fly’.

Jonathan Pollard said: “Gatwick is also committed to promoting sustainable travel and this new scheme will encourage passengers to consider more sustainable transport options, including public transport services or parking options at the airport, which only involves two single car trips, compared to two return trips when dropping off.

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“The airport already has strong public transport links and we will build on this with a proportion of the revenue raised supporting new sustainable transport initiatives. We will also continue to fund our share of the ongoing project to build a new £150 million airport train station.”

The airport benefits from strong public transport links, with recent improvements enabling a train leaving for London every three to four minutes – as regular as tube services – and a £4 million upgrade to an airport bus interchange benefiting the three million people who use it each year.

Gatwick is looking at solutions to allow those who regularly drop off and pick up at the South Terminal each day to access to the railway station to make a token annual payment contribution. Suitable solutions for Blue Badge holder’s convenience are also being looked at.

Reducing the airport’s environmental impact continues to be an important focus and Gatwick plans to put a proportion of the revenue into Gatwick’s existing Sustainable Transport Fund.

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No date has been set to introduce the new charging system but the first step includes a consultation on the implementation of a Red Route system across the airport campus to indicate that stopping to park, load or unload, board or alight from a vehicle is prohibited.

Revenue raised through Red Route fines will also be used to fund sustainable transport initiatives under the guidance of the airport’s Transport Steering Group, which includes external local representatives.

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