Is there a single major UK airport that doesn't have drop-off charges? None spring to mind.
The immediate and aggressive assault on the passenger's wallet is a UK speciality and not in my experience mirrored around Europe, despite prevalence of the 'low cost' carriers there too. The infrastructure is also significantly better than the UK equivalent. This will mostly be attributable to the level of public ownership.
According to MAG their
"ownership structure is unique and comprises an effective blend of public and private shareholders". It is unique alright. The managers have turned a once proud public utility into a place that employees and passengers alike would prefer to avoid. It is not an effective blend at all.