After losing £2 billion during the epidemic, Heathrow Airport announced that starting from October 2021, it will charge £5 to drop off cars, taxis, and online taxis in designated drop-off areas outside its terminal. The exceptions to the drop-off fee include those with color badges (vehicles for the disabled) and emergency vehicles.

According to reports, the £5 drop-off fee can be paid online via mobile phone, automatic phone service, or automatic transfer. The fee will not be collected through the setting of barriers, but through license plate recognition. If the payment is not received, the shaft will be slapped with an arrears fine (PCN).

Heathrow Airport said it will set up clear signs on the roads inside and outside the airport to ensure that drivers fully understand the charging area. Details about the plan, including how to register the vehicle and payment, will be announced later. In addition, the fee will not affect boarding, because boarding is not allowed in front of the terminal, and passengers still have to go to the parking lot to get on the bus.

A Heathrow Airport spokesperson said that the fee was charged to "support Heathrow Airport to recover after the epidemic" and "protect the airport's financial revenue and expenditure." The epidemic caused losses to Heathrow Airport of more than 2 billion pounds, and the decline in passenger traffic has not occurred since the 1970s.

Heathrow Airport originally planned to introduce the Heathrow Ultra Low Emission Zone (HULEZ) by 2022 and introduce the Heathrow Vehicle Toll (HVAC) before the opening of the third runway. The airport said that the plan originally required a charge, the cost of 10-15 pounds, and the 5-pound drop-off fee will replace the plan.

A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport told My London: "The terminal drop-off fee is to support the recovery of Heathrow Airport after the epidemic and to achieve our latest ground traffic management goals." "These measures will ensure that we are on track. On the right track, while ensuring financial income, the airport’s long-term goal is to provide sustainable and economical transportation.

It is understood that Gatwick Airport and Manchester Airport have also launched similar plans.