Stansted Airport blames new £28 drop-off fee for drivers on ‘sustainability’

Stansted is the latest UK airport to raise its drop-off prices, with the cost of a stop of 15 minutes or more now setting drivers back an eye-watering £28.

The operator of the UK’s third-busiest airport, in Essex, says that the charges for its ‘Express Set-Down’ have been implemented for sustainability reasons. A spokesperson said the changes were “designed to tackle ‘kiss and fly’ journeys, which are the least sustainable way of accessing the airport, involving four car journeys per flight”.

Regulating the number of cars passing through the drop-off area was also cited as a factor in the airport’s decision, with the spokesperson adding: “Reducing the number of cars accessing the space immediately in front of the terminal also helps manage congestion in a capacity-restricted area.”

Drivers who want to drop-off a passenger outside the airport’s front doors must pay now £10 for up to 15 minutes – a £3 increase from before. Those staying over the 15-minute mark will now be forced to pay as much as £28, while remaining for more than 30 minutes will attract a £100 Parking Charge Notice. Any PCN can be reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days, while Blue Badge holders are exempt from the drop-off fee altogether.

Stansted says that more than 50 per cent of its passengers arrive via bus, coach or train, so won’t be affected by the price hike. It’s also worth pointing out that this drop-off charge increase comes off the back of several other rises at airports throughout the rest of the UK.

In December, the UK’s busiest airport, London Heathrow, raised the price of drop-off charges from £6 to £7. Gatwick also joined in the party by hiking the cost of its drop-off zones to £10, blaming Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ decision to increase business rates. 

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