The fee must be paid online or over the phone, with the charge enforced through number plate detection and fixed penalty notices.
Blue badge holders and emergency service vehicles will be exempt. There will be free drop-off points in Heathrow’s long-stay car parks, where there are free bus transfers.
Several airports have introduced similar fees, with Gatwick’s £5 drop-off charge coming into force earlier this year at both its North and South terminals.
Announced late last week, the fee plan was revealed ahead of Heathrow on Monday (26 July) reporting an adjusted pre-tax first-half loss of £787 million and cumulative losses from Covid-19 of £2.9 billion.
Heathrow has previously hinted it would consider introducing such a fee in its latest sustainability blueprint and expansion consultations, ostensibly to reduce congestion and improve air quality.
