Heathrow airport will start charging for vehicles to drop off passengers at its terminal forecourts from October.
A £5 Terminal Drop Off Charge will apply at the designated drop-off zones directly outside the airport terminals.
It will be levied on all vehicles entering the forecourts of Heathrow’s terminals and exceptions will apply, such as blue badge holders and emergency vehicles.
The airport car parks remain available with their normal charges.
“This will not impact passenger pick-up, which should continue via the car parks, as picking up passengers is not permitted on the terminal forecourts,” added the airport.
Free drop-offs will be available at the Long Stay terminal car parks, with free bus transfers to the terminals.
The Terminal Drop Off Charge is payable online, via mobile phone, automated telephone service or by autopay functionality.
The service is operated via Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) as there will be no barriers in the drop-off area.
Gatwick started charging a drop-off fee in March, to help protect jobs at the airport amid the pandemic.
Heathrow said on Monday (July 26) that its cumulative losses from Covid-19 have grown to £2.9 billion as travel restrictions continue to impact passenger levels.
It reported a pre-tax loss of £868 million in the six months to June 30 as year-on-year passenger levels slumped by 75% to 3.9 million.