ANOTHER UK airport has increased its drop-off fees in a move that has been slammed by passengers.
Dropping someone off at an airport can be pricey – and poses a risk of a hefty fine if you forget to pay the charge.
With many major UK airports hiking the price of their drop-off fees in recent months, Norwich Airport has now done the same.
The East Anglian travel hub operates flights to dozens of locations across the UK and Europe.
With airlines such as Ryanair, KLM, TUI and more in operation at the Norfolk airport, the hub sees thousands of passengers a week.
On June 1, the charge for drivers dropping travellers off was increased from £6 for a 30-minute stay, to £8 for just 20 minutes.
Now, the fee change is being criticised, with passengers and drivers calling it “disgusting” and “mad”.
Meanwhile, taxi operators are being forced to warn customers that the charge will be part of their cab bill when rides are booked.
Mark Streeter, boss of Norwich’s Courtesy Taxis, told Norwich Evening News: “The main annoyance from our side is that we tell customers it’s an extra £5 or so, and now it’s gone up with no warning. So either the customer or the driver has to pay more than expected.”
Norwich Airport has responded to explain that the drop-off fee increase is a result of growing business costs and worsening energy prices.
A spokesperson for Norwich Airport told The Sun: “We understand that no one welcomes increased charges. But our airport group is facing sharp rises in costs, including a tripling of business rates, higher employment costs such as National Insurance and rising energy costs.”
Admitting that there is no choice but to rely on the public to absorb some of the growing costs, the spokesperson added: “At the same time, we continue to invest millions of pounds in maintaining the airport infrastructure needed to provide an essential public service in our regions.
“We cannot keep absorbing these increased costs without passing some of the additional burden on to our customers.”
Norwich’s change in drop-off policy comes alongside Stansted Airport‘s similar changes.
The London airport took its 15-minute express drop-off charge from £7 to £10 in March, with stays of up to 30 minutes now costing £28 instead of £25.
Meanwhile, London Gatwick‘s fee for a 10-minute drop-off now costs £10, up £5 from when it was first introduced in 2021.