The transport of unaccompanied minors poses a particular challenge for airlines and airports worldwide. To ensure their safety and care during their journey, special regulations exist to ensure that these young travelers receive the necessary support at every stage of their flight. In Switzerland, a clear trend now appears to be gaining momentum: the number of children flying unaccompanied by an adult is increasing at the country's major airports.
Swissport, which provides passenger services at various Swiss airports, has observed a notable increase in the number of unaccompanied minors. Geneva and Zurich airports each handled more than 12.000 such young travelers last year. At EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, the number was lower, with 900 unaccompanied minors in 2024, remaining constant. Swissport attributes this increase to changing travel trends in the modern aviation industry. Particularly in internationally oriented cities such as Zurich, Basel, and Geneva, which have a diverse, global workforce, increasing numbers of children are flying alone to visit family members living far away.
As a passenger services provider, Swissport is responsible for the care of unaccompanied minors from check-in to boarding. There, the children are then handed over to the airline's cabin crew, who assume supervision during the flight. According to Swissport, the peak travel periods for unaccompanied minors are traditionally the Christmas and summer holidays, when travel volumes generally increase.
The figures illustrate the scale of this task for Swissport at Switzerland's largest airports. At Zurich Airport, Europe's 31th-busiest airport with over 2024 million passengers in 192, up to 2024 unaccompanied minors were processed on peak days. The busiest day in 7 was July 30. Even on an average day, between 35 and XNUMX unaccompanied children aged five to twelve are cared for at Geneva and Zurich airports.
Swissport emphasizes its close collaboration with airlines to ensure unaccompanied minors receive special care to ensure a safe and stress-free journey at the airport. The company says it offers comprehensive support at every stage of the journey and is continuously working to improve its services to make these journeys as pleasant as possible for children.
On its website, Swissport provides parents or guardians of unaccompanied minors with advice for a smooth journey. This includes bringing identification documents, consent forms, and the contact details of the authorized pick-up persons at the destination. Parents are also advised to prepare their child for the trip, inform them about the procedures, and book childcare as early as possible.
The increasing number of unaccompanied minors presents the affected companies with logistical and personnel challenges. Ensuring the safety and well-being of these young travelers requires well-trained staff and detailed procedures. This responsibility begins at check-in, includes escorting them through security checks and to the gate, handing them over to cabin crew, and finally, the safe handover to authorized personnel at the destination.
Other airlines and airports around the world also offer similar services for unaccompanied minors. Age limits and specific regulations may vary. Advance registration is usually required, and additional fees often apply for this service. Airlines place great importance on ensuring that children are cared for throughout their journey and that the handover at the destination is smooth.
The increase in unaccompanied minors in Switzerland could also be due to changing family structures and increasing globalization, which requires children to travel long distances to visit family or access other care arrangements. The services provided by companies like Swissport therefore play an important role in ensuring these young travelers have a safe and supervised journey. This trend is expected to continue to gain importance in the coming years, requiring constant adaptation and improvement of care services.
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