The Airline must be notified upon booking of the presence of any minors between aged 5 and 14 years old (12 years old for some airlines) and travelling alone.
Upon departure, one of the handler’s ground staff will take care of him/her up until the moment of embarkation and will entrust him/her to a senior cabin crew member for the entire duration of flight.
Upon arrival, one of the handler’s ground staff will take care of the minor from the moment of landing until the moment of restitution to the parent/guardian.
The parent/tutor must stay on the airport concourse until the aircraft has taken off. Any young person who does not qualify as an unaccompanied minor must make a specific request upon booking the flight in order to obtain the same treatment.
New rules for 14 year olds travelling alone
As from June 4th 2014, parents (or anyone acting as a guardian) of minors under the age of 14 travelling unaccompanied by at least one of them and who intend to authorise another person or a transportation company to accompany the minor (for instance, an airline) must first sign an accompaniment declaration to be filed at the Police Station.
The new procedure requires that a declaration on paper is provided or that the permission is recorded directly on the passport of the minor.
In the first instance, the Police Station will provide certification of the due declaration to be shown by the accompanying party to the Border Police together with the minor’s valid passport; in the second instance, the police will print the required wording on the minor’s passport.
However, please bear in mind that before purchasing your airline ticket, you must ensure that your airline of choice actually accepts an unaccompanied 14 year old minor.
For further information, please visit the website of the Italian State Police
