Caring for our young guests.....

We are responsible for children who travel alone (for example Unaccompanied Minors, UMNR) throughout their entire journey, from the departure airport to their final destination. The following conditions govern our carriage of minors;

• Children who are 5-11 years old travel as unaccompanied minors. An appropriate UMNR reservation must be made for each child at the time of flight reservation.

• The UMNR service is not offered for children under 5years of age. Children under 5years of age are accepted for travel only if they travel with a family member who is at least 16 years of age (if the person concerned is not the parent) or with an assigned non-family member who is at least 18 years of age.

• Young persons of 12-17 years of age who are traveling alone can also be offered the same UMNR service as that provided for 5-11 year-olds.

• The number of unaccompanied minors is limited to two,so it is recommended to book the trip in good time before the planned date of travel.

• On flights within Rwanda, a child over 5 years of age is allowed to travel with a family member who is at least 12 years of age without being considered an unaccompanied minor. A non-family member as an escort has to be at least 16 years old.

• On international flights a child over 5years traveling with a family member of at least 16years of age is not considered an unaccompanied minor. A non-family member as an escort has to be at least 18 years old.

Before the Flight

• It is a good idea to redeem the flight ticket in advance and not to wait until arrival at the airport. The contact information (address and telephone number) of both the person seeing off the child and the person meeting the child, has to be given already at the time of flight reservation. Moreover, the transportation agreement, named the UM Handling Advice, should be completed calmly well in advance of traveling. The person seeing off the child agrees to the terms and conditions of the handling advice for the whole journey by signing the contract. This person is also asked to show identification at the airport.

• It is recommended that you arrive at the airport well before the flight departure, so that all of the details in the documents can be checked and any omissions rectified. The UMNR Handling form is obtainable from the RwandAir sales offices. Fill in the form before arriving to the check-in.

• Unaccompanied minors must register at check-in,even if they have only carry-on baggage.

• At the check-in desk, the child will be given a neck pouch, into which all the documents needed by the child during the trip, such as the UMNR Handling Advice, flight tickets, passport, visa, vaccination certificate, should be placed.

• At the check-in desk,the assistant will check whether the flight is on schedule and,in the case of any irregularities, provide assistance in rearranging travel plans.

• If the person seeing off the child at the airport wishes to accompany the child all the way to the departure gate,he or she must obtain permission to do so from check-in or from the ticket office. Unaccompanied minors must be at the departure gate at least 40 minutes before the departure of the aircraft, because child passengers are taken on to the aircraft before the other passengers.

• The person seeing off the child at the airport must wait until the aircraft has departed(in practice,until the flight information is removed from the monitors and information boards).

During the Flight

The cabin crew will attend to child passengers throughout the flight.

After the flight

• The adult stated in the UM Handling Advice must meet the unaccompanied minor at the airport.

• The ground handling personnel handing over the child, will identify the recipient and make a note of the identification on the UMNR Handling Advice.