£Airport Drop-Off Charges.co.uk

London Gatwick Airport drop-off & pick-up charges 2026

You pay £10 to drop off at London Gatwick Airport, or use Long Stay car parks to avoid the charge. Here's exactly how it works — for pick-ups too.

Verified: · official source
London Gatwick Airport drop-off charge £10, 2026
Drop-off fee
£10
for up to 10 min
Time included
10 min
before charges rise
Free alternative
Yes
Long Stay car parks
Last checked
Aug 2026
official source
Charges change without notice. This figure was confirmed against the airport's own published charges on 17 Aug 2026 — always reconfirm before you travel.
Airport Drop-Off Charges' verified tracking of 23 UK airports puts London Gatwick at £10 — well above the £6.93 average across the 22 airports that charge, and the joint-most-expensive drop-off in the UK, level with London Stansted. Compare every UK airport →

The London Gatwick drop-off charge in detail

£10 for up to 10 minutes.

If you overstay: £1 per additional minute, up to a maximum of 20 minutes.

How to pay: Online or by phone by midnight the next day.

Rose 43% in 2026 — joint-highest UK fee

What the London Gatwick drop-off is actually like

The forecourts are barrier-free, using number-plate recognition rather than tickets; at North Terminal the drop-off is on the lower level between the Sofitel and the multi-storey car park.

Source: the airport's own directions page.

Free or cheaper alternative

Long Stay car parks — 2 hours free, shuttle to terminal. Allow 15–25 extra minutes versus the barrier.

Fee history: the London Gatwick drop-off charge rose from £7 in 2025 to £10 — up about 43%.

Picking up at London Gatwick

Like most UK airports, London Gatwick applies the same £10 charge to pick-ups as to drop-offs — the same area, the same tariff. It's always worth confirming on the day, as signage and enforcement can change.

If you're waiting on a delayed flight, Long Stay car parks is usually the cheaper choice than paying at the barrier by the minute.

Where to go

London Gatwick Airport terminal. Follow the drop-off signs on site — the zone can sit a short walk from the doors.

© OpenStreetMap contributors · Get directions →

By rail — Gatwick Airport station is at the South Terminal, about a five-minute walk from the concourses, with the non-stop Gatwick Express to London Victoria plus Southern and Thameslink services.source

Parking & travel

Affiliate links — we may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It never affects the charge data above.

Questions about London Gatwick

How much is the drop-off charge at London Gatwick Airport?

London Gatwick Airport charges £10 for up to 10 minutes at the drop-off area closest to the terminal. If you overstay: £1 per additional minute, up to a maximum of 20 minutes.

Is there a free drop-off at London Gatwick Airport?

Yes. London Gatwick keeps a free or cheaper option — Long Stay car parks: 2 hours free, shuttle to terminal. Allow 15–25 extra minutes.

How do I pay the London Gatwick Airport drop-off charge?

Online or by phone by midnight the next day.

Do you have to pay to pick up at London Gatwick Airport?

At London Gatwick, as at nearly every UK airport, the same charge applies to pick-ups as to drop-offs — £10 for the same window. Confirm on the day, as rules can change.

Has the London Gatwick Airport drop-off charge gone up?

Yes. It rose from £7 in 2025 to £10, an increase of about 43%.

Nearby & related airports

Method & corrections

Every figure on this page is checked against the airport's own published charges and stamped with the date we checked it. We re-verify the full dataset quarterly, and after any reported change.

Spotted an error? Email hello@airportdropoffcharges.co.uk — corrections are made visibly and dated. The dataset behind this page is free to reuse with attribution: JSON · CSV (CC BY 4.0).