India’s low-cost airline carrier, Air India Express, has doubled its charges for the service provided to unaccompanied minors. The minor service charges, which are paid in addition to the ticket prices, have been hiked from Rs5,000 (approximately Dh221) to Rs10,000 (approximately Dh442).
An Air India Express call centre agent has confirmed that the charge for an unaccompanied minor is Dh450 one way and that the charges were revised two months ago.
Recently, UAE resident and Indian child actor Izin Hash took to social media to convey his surprise at the sudden increase in charges.
“This is the second time that I am travelling without my parents,” said the 10-year-old, who travels between India and the UAE unaccompanied occasionally. “Earlier, the service charge for unaccompanied minors was Rs5,000. Now, it has increased to Rs10,000. Also, the fare discount for children between the ages of 5 to 12 has been discontinued.”
The youngster added that the service was extremely helpful for minors like him and that the staff was great. He was returning from an extended summer break last month when the increase in prices was noticed.
Additional charges
It was in 2018 that the carrier implemented additional charges over and above the ticket cost for unaccompanied minors travelling to and from Dubai Airports. Now, according to Indian media reports, the charges have been increased.
As per the website of Air India, children aged between 5 and 18 are regarded as unaccompanied minors in the UAE. For other Gulf countries, it is children between the ages of 5 and 16.
In 2021, the Tata Group acquired the state-owned Air India for a sum of Rs180 billion (approximately Dh8.8 billion), more than 65 years after selling it to the government. The group founded the airline in 1932. Currently, the airline is undergoing a spate of changes, including being merged with the Tata-owned airline group Vistara and getting new uniforms designed.
