Airports want more people to arrive by trains and buses.

When Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander approved Gatwick’s plans for a second runway, one requirement was to have 54% of passengers using public transport.

Heathrow may also have to act to try and put people off driving to get a third runway.

A London Gatwick spokesperson said drop-off charges were aimed at disincentivising “kiss-and-fly” trips and data indicated it was “influencing passengers to seek alternative options”.

The airport links to 120 train stations across London and the south east, with eight local bus routes running 24/7.

Passengers can still be dropped off for free at long-stay car parks, with a free shuttle bus to the terminal and Blue Badge holders are exempt from the charge, the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for Airports UK said where drop-off fees are charged, they are “necessary to manage congestion, and the traffic and air pollution concerns of our local communities, as well as our climate change objectives”.

“These are issues that airports are mandated to manage by the government and local authorities.”

But Clive Wratten, chief executive of the Business Travel Association, said fees were adding to businesses’ costs.

“First it was environmental [reasons]. Then congestion management. Then funding new routes. Now apparently it is about offsetting tax rises,” he said.

“The goalposts have moved so many times now that the credibility of any justification has long since gone.”