London Stansted has announced it is increasing its drop-off charge to £10, becoming the latest airport to hike up prices.

Serving over 29 million passengers annually, Stansted airport is a base for many low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, Jet2 and easyJet.

However, passengers who have booked cheaper flights with budget carriers may now find their cash going towards other travel costs, namely the passenger drop-off and pick-up charges for private vehicles and taxis.

Stansted has increased its drop-off fee to £10, a £3 surge from its previous price, and that's only if the drop-off vehicle stays 15 minutes or less.

Stansted’s drop-off service, called the “Express Set Down”, allows vehicles to stay for a maximum of 30 minutes, otherwise they would have to book a short or mid-stay parking space.

Any vehicle that stays over 15 minutes will see the drop-off fee rise to £28, also a £3 increase from its previous price.

The system operates without barriers, meaning number plates are registered instead, and drivers are asked to go online after drop-off or pick-up to pay the fee.

A spokesperson for Stansted told The Independent that the Express Set Down charges have been put in place for sustainability reasons.

She said they are “designed to tackle ‘kiss and fly' journeys, which are the least sustainable way of accessing the airport, involving four car journeys per flight”.

“Reducing the number of cars accessing the space immediately in front of the terminal also helps manage congestion in a capacity-restricted area,” she added.

While the drop-off charges have remained the same for the past six years, the spokesperson said they have been reviewed “as part of our drive to further increase public transport use”.

The airport said it will continue to invest significant sums in measures that help people consider alternative ways of getting to the airport, including new connections to unserved towns and villages.

Stansted says nearly 50 per cent of passengers already use the train, coach or bus to travel to and from the terminal.

Stansted offers a free park-and-ride facility for those who are happy to be dropped off and picked up further away from the terminal, as well as a discount scheme for local residents living within 10 miles of the airport.

Stansted is the latest UK airport to increase drop-off fees, with Gatwick airport recently hiking the price up to £10, Bristol to £8.50 and London City airport introducing its first-ever drop-off fee of £8.

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