Compare popular UK airport drop off & pick-up charges for 2026

Colin Carter

Colin Carter

If you're travelling to a UK airport in 2026 to drop off or pick-up a passenger you should be aware of the likely charges and what free options are available.

Latest updates as of 7 January 2026

  • Gatwick Airport - increases to £10 from £7
  • Bristol Airport - increases to £8.50 from £7
  • London City Airport - no longer free - now £8
  • Heathrow Airport - increases to £7 from £6
  • In total 10 major UK airports increase drop-off charges
Shuttle bus for long term car park at London Gatwick South Terminal
Shuttle bus for long term car park at London Gatwick South Terminal © Andy Soloman - Shutterstock.com

We've researched the drop off/pick-up options at 27 of the UK's most popular airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh plus regional airports such as Southampton, Bristol and Newcastle.

Note: all prices and times are correct as of 7 January 2026.

Free airport drop off at UK airports

There are currently only three major UK airports offering free drop off at the terminal with just two airports, Humberside and Inverness, offering free pick-up. London City Airport is charging £8 for terminal drop-off as of 6 January 2026.

Airport At terminal Short stay option
Drop off Pick-up Price Time (mins) Price Time (mins)
Humberside Yes Yes Free 15 £5.00 60
Inverness Yes Yes Free 15 £3.80 30
Birmingham Yes No Free 10 £9.50 60

Teesside Airport offers free parking for up to 2 hours when you spend at least £5 in the terminal. Present your receipt to claim the offer.

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Cheapest UK airport drop off charges

Beyond the airports offering free drop offs (shown above) the following UK airports have the cheapest drop off charges. Cardiff, Prestwick and Belfast City all allow pick-ups within the time allocated.

Airport At terminal Short stay option
Drop off Pick-up Price Time (mins) Price Time (mins)
Teesside Yes No £2.50 10 £4.00 20
Cardiff Yes Yes £3.00 10 £4.00 20
Belfast City Yes Yes £4.00 10 £5.00 30
Belfast International Yes No £3.00 10 £5.00 20
Prestwick Yes Yes £4.50 60 n/a n/a

Outside of the airports offering free drop offs, Glasgow Prestwick Airport offers the best value drop off and pick-up charges with 60 minutes for just £4.50.

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Additional FREE drop off/pick-up options

If you want a little longer time for your drop off or pick-up and you're prepared to be a little further away from the terminal, the following popular UK airports offer free drop off and pick-up options.

Airport Car park Time (mins) Transfer
Aberdeen Long stay 60 6 min walk or 2 min transfer
Belfast City Long stay 10 5 min walk
Bristol Waiting zone 60 7-9 min transfer
Cardiff Car park 2 20 6 min walk
East Midlands Long stay 60 15-20 min walk
Exeter P4 30 10 min walk
Edinburgh Long stay 30 10 min walk
Gatwick Long stay 120 10-12 min transfer
Glasgow Long stay 60 10 min walk or 7 min transfer
Heathrow Park & Ride 29 10-20 min transfer
Liverpool Drop off 2 20 10 min walk
Luton Long stay 120 10 min transfer
Manchester Jetparks 1 n/a 5-6 min transfer
Stansted Mid stay 60 7 min transfer

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Most expensive UK airport drop off charges

Below are the most expensive drop off charges at UK airports with London Gatwick, Bristol, Southend, London City top of the list with between £8-10 charge for 5-10 minutes for drop offs. There are also five airports charging £7.

Airport At terminal Short stay option
Drop off Pick-up Price Time (mins) Price Time (mins)
Gatwick Yes No £10.00 10 £8.00 30
Bristol Yes Yes £8.50 10 £9.00 30
Southend Yes Yes £8.00 10 £16.00 30
London City Yes No £8.00 5 £6.90 20

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Airport drop off & pick-up charges by region

Explore the airport drop off and pick-up charges for popular airports across the UK by region. Check out the options at the terminal and at the short stay car park. In most cases there is just a short walk to the terminal building.

London

None of the five London airports offer free drop off or pick-ups at the terminal. Charges range from £7 to £10 for drop off at terminals with all London airports offering drop off and pick-up at the short stay car parks.

Airport At terminal Short stay option
Drop off Pick-up Price Time (mins) Price Time (mins)
Gatwick Yes No £10.00 10 £8.00 30
Heathrow Yes No £7.00 10 £7.50 29
London City Yes No £8.00 5 £6.90 20
Luton Yes Yes £7.00 10 £15.00 30
Stansted Yes No £7.00 15 £10.00 30

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England (excluding London)

The majority of airports in England away from London charge between £5-8.50 for drop offs at the terminal with just Humberside and Birmingham offering drop offs for free. Teesside is the cheapest chargeable airport for drop-offs. Bristol and Southend are the most expensive English airports outside of London.

Airport At terminal Short stay option
Drop off Pick-up Price Time (mins) Price Time (mins)
Birmingham Yes No Free 10 £9.50 60
Bournemouth Yes Yes £6.00 30 £6.00 30
Bristol Yes Yes £8.50 10 £9.00 30
East Midlands Yes No £5.00 15 £6.00 30
Exeter Yes Yes £6.00 30 £6.00 30
Humberside Yes Yes Free 15 £5.00 60
Leeds Bradford Yes Yes £7.00 10 £15.50 60
Liverpool Yes Yes £6.00 10 £10.00 20
Manchester Yes No £5.00 5 £6.40 15 (30 in T1)
Newcastle Yes Yes £5.00 10 £10.00 15
Norwich Yes Yes £6.00 30 £6.00 30
Southampton Yes Yes £7.00 20 £15.00 60
Southend Yes Yes £8.00 10 £16.00 30
Teesside Yes No £2.50 10 £5.00 60

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Scotland

Only Inverness Airport offers free drop offs and pick-ups at the terminal. Glasgow Prestwick Airport is the best value drop off with £4.50 for up to 60 minutes wait time. None of the major airports in Scotland increased drop-off charges as of 7 January 2026.

Airport At terminal Short stay option
Drop off Pick-up Price Time (mins) Price Time (mins)
Aberdeen Yes No £5.50 15 £7.00 20
Edinburgh Yes Yes £6.00 10 £7.00 15
Glasgow Yes Yes £6.00 15 £8.00 20
Inverness Yes Yes Free 15 £3.80 30
Prestwick Yes Yes £4.50 60 n/a n/a

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Wales

Cardiff Airport no longer offers free drop off within 5 minutes. You'll now need to pay £3 for drop offs and pick ups stays within 10 minutes. Alternatively the short stay car park at just £4 for the first 20 minutes.

Airport At terminal Short stay option
Drop off Pick-up Price Time (mins) Price Time (mins)
Cardiff Yes Yes £3.00 10 £4.00 20

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Northern Ireland

Both Belfast airports charge for drop offs (£3-5) with Belfast City also allowing pick-ups as long as you only stay for 10 minutes. If you need longer there is a short stay car park available.

Airport At terminal Short stay option
Drop off Pick-up Price Time (mins) Price Time (mins)
Belfast City Yes Yes £4.00 10 £5.00 30
Belfast International Yes No £3.00 10 £5.00 20

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Research data sources

All prices and times have been extracted from the official airport websites and are correct as of 7 January 2026. Information is subject to change and is published for guidance only. We recommend checking drop off/pick-up prices and times at time of travel.

Colin Carter

Colin Carter

Article updated on Wednesday 7th January 2026

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