Unaccompanied minors

Child Flying Alone

Your little one in command! From check-in to landing, we are your child’s trusted co-pilot.

Who is an unaccompanied minor?

Children aged 5 years to 11 years, travelling alone, are considered unaccompanied minors.

Documents required and submission

• Unaccompanied minor form: The parent or legal guardian must fill, sign, and submit four copies of the form for direct flights and six copies for connecting flights.
• Identity proof: As per the type of travel, please submit the following document of the minor:
  • Domestic travel: Photocopies of any valid government issued identity proof.
  • International travel: Photocopies of relevant pages of their passport.
• Additionally, the parent or legal guardian must submit the following:
  • Custodian information: Details of the adult who will be accompanying the child to the airport and receiving them at the destination must be filled in the unaccompanied minor form.
    
  • Photocopy of identification document: Depending on international or domestic travel, the parent or legal guardian need to submit:
    International flight: Photocopies of relevant pages of their passport.
    Domestic flight: Photocopies of any valid government issued identity proof.
    
  • Proof of guardianship: Incase a parent or both parents of the child are  deceased, and the minor is in custody of the legal guardian, please submit:
    • Death certificate of the parent.
    • Proof confirming the guardianship of the child.
• Along with the documents mentioned above, we request the unaccompanied minor, parent or legal guardian to carry all original identification proofs for verification.
• The forms and relevant documents need to be submitted to the nearest Air India city booking or airport ticketing office at least six hours prior to the flight’s departure.
• We may require additional documents, depending on the sector your child is travelling. We request that you reach out to your nearest consulate for more details.

Fare pricing

• An unaccompanied minor will be charged a full adult travel fare.
• Additionally, a handling fee will be charged at the time of document submission, depending on the destination, as detailed below.

^*The charges are applicable per sector, that is, you will be charged separately for every segment of your trip.

Service availability

• The unaccompanied minor assistance service is applicable only on Air India operated flights.
• We do not offer this service on codeshare flights. Additionally, this service is not extended to connecting flights where any part of the journey is operated by another airline. For example, the unaccompanied minor service is not available for a flight from Mumbai to Chennai via Delhi, if Mumbai to Delhi is operated by Air India and Delhi to Chennai is operated by a different airline.
• In case your child has a medical condition:
  • The unaccompanied minor assistance service will be provided only after receiving clearance from our medical team.     
  • If your child is unwell, the assistance expected should be within the care our staff can provide.
• We do not extend our unaccompanied minor assistance service to minors requiring special assistance. In such cases, the child must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian to travel with us.

At departure airport

• The parent or legal guardian must accompany their child to the airport at least three hours prior to the flight’s departure.
• Please carry all mandatory forms and documents for verification and submission.
• Your child will be allowed to travel only after the verification of all the documents submitted at the time of check-in. Please note that the final approval is subject to discretion of the airport staff.
• After receiving approval from the airport staff, you can hand over your child to the ground staff.
• The parent or legal guardian must stay at the airport until the flight departs.

Assistance at the airport

• Our staff will assist your child through all airport formalities, including immigration and customs in case of international flights.
• We will escort your child to the designated boarding gate. Upon arrival at their final destination, our staff will hand over the minor to the authorised adult.
• The unaccompanied minor will receive priority boarding.

Seating and restrictions

• Unaccompanied minors cannot be booked and seated in the emergency exit rows of the aircraft.
• We do not allow unaccompanied minors to travel with pets.

On arrival

• The unaccompanied minor will be assisted from the aircraft and handed over to the custodian listed in the unaccompanied minor form.
• The custodian – parent, legal guardian, or authorised adult – must carry their valid, original, government issued ID for verification.