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Travelling with Infants and Children
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Travelling with Children
At Air India, we prioritise the safety and comfort of our passengers of all ages. Which is why children below the age of 5 are not permitted to travel alone, unless accompanied by a guardian.
However, if your child is above the age of 5, they can travel alone and will get necessary assistance depending on their age. Here’s what to keep in mind when planning a journey for your young ones:
Unaccompanied minor
As part of our unaccompanied minor services, children aged 5 to 12 years will be escorted by our trained staff through all departure and arrival processes at the airport, including immigration and customs in the case of international journeys. They will be reunited with the authorised individual specified in your Unaccompanied Minor (UM) form filled by the parent or guardian. Our dedicated cabin crew will also ensure complete inflight care and assistance for your little one.
Please note that a child travelling as an unaccompanied minor will be charged the full fare of an adult in both domestic and international sectors.
Young passenger
For children above the age of 12, but below the age of 18, special handling services are provided only upon request by a parent or guardian. Children in this age group are expected to report to the check-in counter and identify themselves. Assistance will be provided for pre-boarding processes at the gate before departure. They will also be escorted through security, immigration and customs (in case of international journeys) before departure and upon arrival.
Exceptions - This is not an exception however is, as advised by the regulatory body
The age bracket for unaccompanied minors in the Gulf region is different from that observed elsewhere.
For young passengers travelling from the UK, a consent form must be signed by both parents.
You can read the detailed requirements for unaccompanied minors in these countries on our official guidelines.
The safety of your little one is our responsibility. And with an expert team in place, you can have a worry-free experience when your child travels alone with Air India.
Our special handling staff is deputed to liaise with the cabin crew/special hostess to ensure that the unaccompanied minors are well looked after. Ground staff assists the minor with arrival formalities and checks the identity of person meeting the child against the contact details in the Unaccompanied Minor (UM) form. The parent/guardian who fills out the UM form will be required to acknowledge the handover of the child and file a handover form to ensure a smooth and safe journey.
In case of a delay or flight cancellation, following steps will be taken to ensure the safety of unaccompanied minors at different points in their journey with us.
En route the destination
the stations of origin and destination will be urgently informed about the extent of the disruption, possible layover arrangements, along with the name of every unaccompanied minor (UM) and their final arrival details. The UM will be kept under constant supervision, under no circumstance will be left unattended.
At the transit or layover station
The unaccompanied minor will be escorted to a hotel and back to the airport for departure. The deputed staff will collect all travel documents from the cabin crew to ensure they have a safe transition.
At the destination
The parents or guardians of the unaccompanied minor will be informed of the delay, the arrangements made during the disruption and the new arrival details.
To ensure that your little one has a safe and comfortable journey while travelling as an unaccompanied minor, we have the following guidelines in place.
Documents required
Please print and fill out the request for carriage of an Unaccompanied Minor (UM) form with the correct and relevant information. It should be submitted along with four copies of the same at the nearest Air India office at least 3 working days before the date of travel. Our customer support team will be happy to assist in making such a booking request.
Escort till airport
You or the authorised guardian mentioned in the UM form must escort the child till the airport and our staff will meet you on arrival. Please remember that you or the guardian must carry the original photo ID mentioned in the form and must stay at the airport until the flight is airborne.
At the airport
Your child must be checked-in at least two hours before the scheduled departure of their domestic flight and three hours prior to an international flight. You or the guardian, and your child will also be asked to produce a valid photo ID at the point of check-in.
We understand that sending your child on a journey by themselves can be daunting. But if your documents are in place and you follow the above guidelines, you can enable and trust us to take care of your little one throughout their journey.
The age bracket for unaccompanied minors in the Gulf region is different from that observed elsewhere. The following rules apply:
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE): Children aged 5-18 years are classified as unaccompanied minors.
All Gulf countries, except the UAE: Children aged between 5-16 years are classified as unaccompanied minors.
We identify minors above the age of 12 and below the age of 18 as young passengers, who are allowed to travel on their own. No paperwork is required for their safe journey. However, here are a few points to remember when planning a journey for young passengers:
At the airport
They will need to report to the check-in counter and identify themselves with a valid ID proof. In case you require special handling services, we can provide it upon request by a parent or guardian.
Exceptions - Requirement of the UK Border Force
If your child is a young passenger travelling to the UK without a parent or legal guardian, they are to bring a written consent as per the UK Border Force along with a consent form signed by both parents.
For more information about minors travelling from the UK, you can visit here.
If your child is travelling with an adult, who is not a legal parent and/or guardian, here are a list of things needed:
- A consent letter duly signed by the legal parent(s)or guardian stating that in their absence, the child will be in the care of the authorised guardian.
- The parent’s or guardian’s details, and a valid proof confirming the parentage of the child.
- Photocopies of relevant ID of the parents.
- For international travel: Photocopies of the relevant pages of the passports.
- For domestic travel: Photocopies of any government issued ID.
- The original ID of the parents to complete check-in formalities.
- International travel: Passport for signature authentication and verification. Please ensure the signature on the consent letter matches the one on the passport.
- Domestic travel: Any government issued ID.
- Photocopy of the death certificate in case one or both parents are deceased.
- In case your child is below the age of 18 and leaving the country of residence, additional documents may be required. For further details, please contact the nearest consulate.
- A valid ID proof, i.e., passport or any government issued ID, of the authorised guardian.
If you are travelling with your baby who is over 7 days and under 2 years of age on the date of travel, you will need to produce the following documents during check-in:
Birth certificate of the baby
Vaccination certificate of the baby
Passport is mandatory in case of international travel
Special cases
In special cases you may be allowed to travel with your infant below 7 days of age for medical reasons. In such cases, please ensure that you carry a medical certificate signed by a paediatrician and obtain prior clearance from Air India's medical department.
Additional information
If you are unable to produce valid proof of age as listed above, an adult fare as applicable on the date of booking will be charged for the infant to be allowed to travel, subject to availability of seats.
As per our rules, designed for the safety and comfort of all our passengers, only one infant can travel in the care of an adult.
If you are travelling with more than one infant under two years of age, each of them should be accompanied by an adult traveller aged 18 years or above.
Please note that infants must be booked in the same cabin and fare type as the accompanying adult for all segments or sectors of the journey.
We do not allow the use of child airplane seat extenders onboard our flights.
We are happy to provide infant bassinets free of cost, subject to availability on our flights. You can request a bassinet at the time of booking your flights or when checking in at the airport. Alternatively, you can raise a request for the same on our customer support portal, and an executive will assist you.
If an infant is travelling with an adult, who is not a legal parent and/or guardian, here are a list of things needed:
- A consent letter duly signed by the legal parent(s)or guardian stating that in their absence, the infant will be in the care of the authorised guardian.
- The parent’s or guardian’s details, and a valid proof confirming the parentage of the infant.
- Photocopies of relevant ID of the parents.
- For international travel: Photocopies of the relevant pages of the passports.
- For domestic travel: Photocopies of any government issued ID.
- The original ID of the parents to complete check-in formalities.
- International travel: Passport for signature authentication and verification. Please ensure the signature on the consent letter matches the one on the passport.
- Domestic travel: Any government issued ID.
- Photocopy of the death certificate in case one or both parents are deceased.
- In case your infant is leaving the country of residence, additional documents may be required. For further details, please contact the nearest consulate.
- A valid ID proof, i.e., passport or any government issued ID, of the authorised guardian.