London City Airport Drop-Off Charge

[Glassman]

As of 6 January 2026, London City Airport charges £8 for up to 5 minutes for drop-offs at the terminal forecourt. Additional minutes cost £1 each, with a maximum stay of 10 minutes. Payment must be made by midnight the following day. Blue Badge holders are exempt upon registration.

It's not clear as you drive up Hartman Road and only as you approach the drop off zone you become aware of the 'no stopping' and 'no dropping airport passengers' signs. In the zone itself it states a payable charge of £8.00 for 0-5 minutes. I couldn't see any ANPR on the slip road, but as you leave there's another sign which tells you that you have until midnight the next day to cough up.

I wasn't sure if the system is/was active so just checked online after getting back.

[CSR Performance]

Going to be a lot more traffic on Newland Street then. Assuming the path under the DLR track is still there?

[Glassman]

CSR Performance said:

Going to be a lot more traffic on Newland Street then. Assuming the path under the DLR track is still there?

On my way back I did see a load of passengers walking up but assumed they'd stayed at the Marriott Courtyard.

[Glassman]

I accidentally put the wrong reg in on the payment page and it didn't get flagged.

[Countdown]

Glassman said:

I accidentally put the wrong reg in on the payment page and it didn't get flagged.

So have you paid for the wrong car?

Call me cynical but I wouldn’t expect it to flag up any typos. It would mean more income from fines.

[Glassman]

Countdown said:

Glassman said:

I accidentally put the wrong reg in on the payment page and it didn't get flagged.

So have you paid for the wrong car?

Call me cynical but I wouldn t expect it to flag up any typos. It would mean more income from fines.

Agreed.

I didn't pay because I realised it was the wrong reg when I got to the payment page. Now I've put another random reg in to test the theory and it took me straight to the payment stage again.

[Scaleybrat]

CSR Performance said:

Going to be a lot more traffic on Newland Street then. Assuming the path under the DLR track is still there?

Yes, the path is still there and I saw plenty of taxis and mini-buses parked on Newland Street when I was there earlier this week.

[Glassman]

Begrudgingly, I paid.

It's weird that if I put in a random reg, it will still take me to the payment prompt. When I put the correct VRN in, it came up with my entry and exit times.

"In order to maintain efficient access to the forecourt and support the best possible experience for everyone, we are introducing a new Drop-off charge for vehicles stopping at the terminal forecourt.

"Please ensure you settle the charge by midnight the day after to avoid additional fees."

I've been using LCY as a passenger for well over 10 years and have regularly dropped off or picked up friends and family using it too. There has never been any suggestion of anything other than calm and hassle-free access and egress to the terminal in that time.