Tower and ATC folks tell you rather bluntly that GA below 150kn approaching are a nuisance which requires special attention. The fees are
a) justified since the admin effort on their side is partly the same (it might cost them 50 to just have the internal paperwork in order)
b) meant to discourage the incidental small bird from disturbing the standard operations
Sad, but true.

Effectively the same at all international airports AFAIK.

Except of course in the USA where they manage perfectly well to mix Cessna 150's and A380's at even the largest most busy international airports without the need to charge a rip off fee.
Welcome to Europe.

I thought there was an EU regulation which requires airports to let GA self handle but that many British regional airports with delusions of grandeur simply ignore it and insist on mandatory, and stupidly expensive handling. Is that right?

I never heard that rumor, but might consider painting it on the side of each GA I fly, if it is true. Given some handling fees in Italy, Greece, Spain, Eastern Friends I doubt such exist, but be more then happy to know exactly. Btw: my record holder for 2016 so far is a quote of an airport nearshore east, which hits well above 4-digits for a single landing with mandt handling.

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-conte...6L0067&from=EN

Maybe 96/67-7.

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...nel-report.pdf

Page 53 on link above is the UK standpoint.

Thanks for posting this: that's what I was thinking of. I don't suppose there's much chance of it ever happening though!

Correct. The only thing preventing Europe from enabling such easy GA access is laziness and incompetence.

And a deliberate lack of competition combined with good old-fashioned avarice.... :p