ON THE RISE: London City Airport to introduce £8 drop-off charge from 6 January 2026
- Perry Richardson
- 31 minutes ago
- 2 min read
London City Airport will introduce a new drop-off charge for vehicles using its forecourt from 6 January 2026, becoming the latest UK airport to monetise short dwell times at terminal kerbsides.
Under the new structure, drivers will be charged £8 for stays of up to five minutes. After that, a £1 per minute fee will apply, with a maximum permitted stay of ten minutes. Blue Badge holders will be exempt from the charge.
The airport said the move is intended to support its wider transport strategy, which aims to limit private car use. It stated that around two-thirds of passengers already arrive at or leave the airport using public or other sustainable transport modes, and the charge is designed to push that figure higher.
Traffic on the forecourt, which include taxis and private hire vehicles, will be enforced using automatic number plate recognition cameras. Drivers have been warned not to wait in vehicles or leave them unattended, as doing so may result in a penalty charge notice. Airport guidance makes clear that the drop-off zone is for immediate set-down only.
New forecourt fee aims to push passengers towards public transport, with black cab exemption under consultation
Passengers being collected will be required to use the airport’s Short Stay car park rather than the forecourt.
Black taxis will initially be treated differently. Before the charge is applied to licensed taxis, Transport for London (TfL) will run its annual public consultation on taxi fares. That process will include a proposal from London City Airport to formally include the drop-off charge within the taxi meter, mirroring existing arrangements at other major London airports.
If approved, the change would mean black cab drivers do not personally absorb the £8 charge, with the cost passed transparently to passengers through the meter. This approach is already in place at Heathrow and Gatwick for certain airport access fees.
The consultation outcome will determine whether the charge is treated as a reimbursable airport fee or remains a separate cost for taxi drivers operating at the airport.
For the wider taxi and private hire sector, the move adds to a growing list of airport access controls that are reshaping airport work, increasing operating costs and tightening time pressures around drop-offs. Operators serving London City will now need to factor the new rules into pricing and customer advice ahead of the January 2026 start date.
