Flying with infants from India in 2026 — passports, tickets, baggage and on-board reality
By Arjun Kapoor (Meera Iyengar is a family travel writer focused on Indian families flying domestic and international. She cross-checks her guides against MEA passport rules, DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements and the published tariffs of IndiGo, Air India and the major Gulf carriers.) · Published · 11 min read
Infants under two fly differently from every other passenger — different ticket, different baggage, different on-board rights. Here is the honest 2026 picture for Indian families, from MEA passport timelines to bassinet booking on IndiGo, Air India and Emirates.
Quick answer
Indian infants under 24 months can fly as lap babies on a 10% infant fare (international) or near-zero base fare (domestic) with no seat, or on a separate child fare with a seat (mandatory from the date the child turns two). All Indian infants need their own passport — even newborns. Free baggage is usually 10 kg checked + the stroller and one collapsible cabin item; the lap-infant gets no cabin allowance of their own on most carriers. Book bassinet bulkhead seats by calling the airline reservations desk 24-48 hours after ticketing — websites only register requests, they do not confirm bassinets.
Passport, visa and birth certificate — the document stack
An infant is a separate passenger in the eyes of MEA, DGCA and every airline. The biggest mistake Indian parents make is booking tickets before the infant's passport application is filed. The Indian passport for a child under 15 is valid for 5 years (not 10), is colour-coded the same as an adult passport, and costs the same fee as a normal application — ₹1,500 for a 36-page Tatkal-eligible booklet.
The application sequence: register on passportindia.gov.in, choose Fresh Passport — Minor, fill the form citing the parents' passport numbers as references, pay online, book a Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) appointment, and appear with the child plus both parents (or a notarised consent affidavit from the absent parent on Annexure D / Annexure H). MEA publishes the parental consent annexures on passportindia.gov.in — print fresh, do not rely on old copies. Both parents must sign in front of the PSK officer; a divorced single parent must carry the custody order. Tatkal turnaround is typically 1-3 working days at the PSK plus another 4-7 days for printing and dispatch; normal applications take 15-30 days. Build at least 6 weeks of buffer for international travel; longer if there is any discrepancy in the spelling or addresses across the parents' IDs.
Beyond the passport, every destination requires its own infant visa. Schengen, US, UK, Canada, Australia and Japan all charge the full adult visa fee for under-twos; the only saving is that under-12 applicants are typically exempt from biometric enrolment at most consulates. For Schengen short-stay infant visas, the parent's appointment slot covers the child. For the US B1/B2, the infant is typically interview-waived but the DS-160 is mandatory. See our Schengen visa guide, US tourist visa walkthrough and UK Standard Visitor visa pages for current consular fees.
Always carry the infant's birth certificate (English, with parents' names) plus 2-3 photocopies, and an authorisation letter on plain paper if only one parent is flying with the child. Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa actively check this on departures from India to certain destinations; UAE and Saudi immigration also ask for parental consent if a child is travelling with only one parent.
Lap infant or seat — and what the 10% fare actually buys
Across Indian carriers and most international airlines, a child under 24 months on the date of travel can fly as a lap infant. There is no seat allocated; the baby sits on the parent's lap secured by an extension seatbelt loop that the cabin crew hands out during taxi, takeoff, turbulence and landing. The moment the child crosses 2 years on the date of any subsequent leg, the lap-infant option disappears and you must purchase a child fare with a confirmed seat — including for the return leg of a trip that started before the second birthday.
On international flights from India, the lap-infant fare is typically 10% of the adult base fare, plus all applicable taxes, fuel surcharges and the YQ/YR carrier-imposed fees. The taxes are not reduced — they are charged in full. On a ₹70,000 Delhi-London Air India economy ticket, the infant fare can therefore work out to ₹18,000-25,000 once taxes are stacked on top of the 10% base. Premium-cabin infant fares are proportionally higher because the base fare itself is higher; a business-class infant on a Mumbai-New York Air India 777 can cross ₹60,000 even without a seat. Verify the breakdown on the carrier's site before paying.
On Indian domestic flights, infant fares are nominal: IndiGo charges ₹0 base + ~₹300-500 in taxes/admin per leg, SpiceJet ₹250 base, Air India ₹500 base. Showing up at the airport with an unbooked infant is a guaranteed extra charge — counters levy the full fare on the spot plus a service fee.
If you can afford it, buying a separate seat with an FAA-approved or CARES harness child restraint (some Indian carriers accept the CARES harness; check with the airline) is by far the most comfortable option for any flight over 4 hours. The child sleeps, you eat, neither of you ends up with a sore back.
Baggage — what is free, what is checked, what is hand
The lap-infant baggage allowance is not standardised across airlines; each carrier sets its own rule and there is wide variation. The honest 2026 picture from the major carriers Indians fly:
- IndiGo (per its published tariff): on international routes, an infant gets 10 kg checked baggage plus one collapsible stroller (and/or one infant car seat) free to gate. Domestic infant: no separate checked allowance — uses parent's allowance.
- Air India: on international, infants get one piece up to 10 kg checked plus a stroller and car seat free; weight-based routes (US/Canada) usually grant 10 kg. Domestic: nil.
- Emirates: lap infants get one piece up to 10 kg checked plus a fully collapsible pushchair carried free of charge in the hold, plus one nappy bag in the cabin.
- Qatar Airways: per its published policy, infants receive 10 kg checked on weight-based routes and one piece up to 23 kg on piece-concept routes (Americas), plus a stroller and car seat free.
- Singapore Airlines: infants travelling on a lap fare receive 10 kg checked on weight-concept routes, plus one carrycot / stroller / car seat free.
- Lufthansa: lap infant gets one piece up to 23 kg plus a fully collapsible stroller free, but no separate cabin baggage allowance.
Almost every airline accepts a foldable stroller and a car seat as free additional items, separate from the checked allowance. Drop the stroller at the gate, board, and the ground crew will return it on the aerobridge at arrival. Do not check the stroller at the city-side counter on a connecting itinerary — once it's in the hold-baggage system you cannot get it at the connecting airport.
On the cabin side, a lap-infant typically does not get an additional cabin bag allowance. Pack one diaper bag within your own cabin allowance with: 6-8 diapers per flight hour, 2 changes of clothes, 1 spare for you (vomit happens), wipes, barrier cream, formula sachets or expressed milk in approved bottles, a feeding bottle, a soft toy, paracetamol drops with the prescription, and a small zip-lock for soiled clothes. Liquids exemption: most security agencies including CISF allow reasonable quantities of baby food, formula and breast milk in the cabin beyond the 100 ml rule, but be prepared to taste it or have it scanned separately.
Booking a bassinet — the bulkhead reality
A bassinet is a wall-mounted cot fixed to the bulkhead at the front of certain cabin sections. The baby sleeps flat, you sit upright in the bulkhead seat. Bassinets are free, are limited to 2-6 per cabin, and are bookable only by phone for almost every airline. Online booking tools register a request — they do not allocate a confirmed bassinet.
The reliable booking sequence: (1) buy the ticket online and add the infant to the booking; (2) wait 24-48 hours for the record to settle in the airline's reservations system; (3) call the carrier's reservations line — not the OTA, not the travel agent — quote the PNR and explicitly say "I would like to book a bassinet seat for my infant"; (4) the agent will assign you a bulkhead row (Air India 777: row 24; Emirates 777: rows 20/30/41; Singapore A380: row 31/41 in economy; Qatar 350: rows 27/37); (5) ask for written email confirmation. At check-in, re-confirm verbally before the boarding pass is printed.
Bassinet weight limits in 2026: Emirates 11 kg, Singapore Airlines 14 kg, Qatar Airways 11 kg, Air India 10 kg, Lufthansa 11 kg. Many 10-12 month olds are at the upper edge — once your child crosses the limit you cannot use the bassinet even if you booked one. Newborns and small infants are the easiest fit.
On-board reality — feeding, ears, sleep, crying
Ear pressure on takeoff and descent hurts infants more than adults because their Eustachian tubes are narrow. The single most useful trick: feed during takeoff and descent. Breastfeed, bottle-feed, offer a pacifier, or have a sip of water — the swallowing equalises the middle-ear pressure. If your child has a current cold or ear infection, ask your paediatrician about a single dose of paracetamol drops 30 minutes before the descent.
Cabin air is dry — humidity drops to 10-15% on long-haul. Pack the child's normal moisturiser, offer water more frequently than usual, and dress the baby in soft layers because cabin temperature swings from cold (cruise) to warm (boarding). Cabin crew will warm a bottle to body temperature on request — be polite, allow 10-15 minutes, and do not heat formula yourself with the in-seat USB charger.
The honest truth about crying: most babies cry on planes at least briefly. The cabin is loud, vibrating and unfamiliar. Other passengers expect a degree of infant noise on any flight — what they do not expect is a parent who has not prepared. Carry a quiet activity (a small new toy is best — novelty buys 15-20 minutes), avoid sugar before boarding, and do not over-apologise; matter-of-fact competence reads well to other passengers.
For long-haul, request a special infant meal (BBML) at booking — most carriers serve a small jar of baby food and a small bottle of milk. Mothers who breastfeed should sit by the window for a degree of privacy; carry a nursing scarf if you prefer the cover. There is no Indian airline that prohibits breastfeeding in the cabin.
What changes the day the child turns two
The carrier checks the date of birth against the travel date for every leg, not against the original booking date. If your child turns 2 on the outbound and the inbound is even one day later, the inbound is a child fare on its own seat — and the airline may charge change fees if the booking was made as an infant. The cleanest workaround is to book both legs as a child fare with a seat (often only marginally more expensive than the lap-infant fare once taxes are stacked) the moment the child crosses 21-22 months and you suspect travel may fall close to the second birthday.
From the second birthday onwards: full child fare, own seat, child meal (CHML) instead of infant meal, no bassinet, but baggage allowance moves to the adult standard. Strollers remain free to gate on most carriers up to age 5. CARES harness is allowed by many airlines but not all — Air India yes (subject to crew clearance), IndiGo no on most aircraft, Emirates yes. Confirm with the carrier before assuming.
Insurance, medical kit and the small things
An infant travel insurance add-on is inexpensive (₹200-500 per trip on most Indian policies) and worth carrying — paediatric ER visits abroad escalate quickly. Confirm the policy explicitly covers under-twos. Carry a basic medical kit: paracetamol drops with the dosing chart, ORS sachets, barrier cream, a thermometer, saline nasal drops, an antihistamine the paediatrician has cleared, and the child's vaccination card. For international travel to malarial regions, talk to your paediatrician 6 weeks before about prevention. Our travel insurance guide covers add-ons for families.
Use FlightGPT to compare itineraries by daytime arrival into your destination — a 10am arrival is far easier with an infant than a 2am arrival, and the ₹3,000-5,000 fare difference is usually worth it. Pick connections at airports with airside playrooms (Changi, Doha, Dubai) over short-transit hubs (CDG, FRA) wherever possible.
Frequently asked questions
Do newborns need a passport to fly internationally from India?
Yes. Indian newborns must hold their own MEA-issued passport for any international travel — there is no parent-passport endorsement system. Apply at the Passport Seva Kendra under Fresh Passport — Minor; Tatkal turnaround is typically 1-3 working days at the PSK plus dispatch.
How much is the infant fare on an international flight from India?
Typically 10% of the adult base fare plus all applicable taxes, fuel surcharges and YQ/YR carrier-imposed fees. Taxes are charged in full — they are not reduced for infants. Premium-cabin infant fares are proportionally higher than economy infant fares.
Can I book a bassinet through the airline website?
On most carriers the website only registers a request — it does not confirm a bassinet. Call the airline's reservations line 24-48 hours after ticketing, quote your PNR, request a bassinet seat at a bulkhead row, and ask for written confirmation by email. Verify again at check-in.
What is the baggage allowance for a lap infant from India?
Most carriers (IndiGo, Air India, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways on weight-concept routes) grant the lap infant 10 kg of checked baggage plus a free collapsible stroller and a car seat. Lufthansa and Qatar on piece-concept routes (Americas) grant one 23 kg piece. Verify on the carrier site.
When does the child have to move from lap-infant to own seat?
On the date the child turns two. The check is done per leg, not per booking — if the child turns two between the outbound and return, the return must be re-booked as a child fare with a seat. Plan ahead if travel falls near the second birthday.
Are breast milk and formula allowed through Indian airport security?
Yes, in reasonable quantities for the journey, even above the 100 ml liquids limit. CISF will scan them separately and may ask you to taste-test. Carry sachets or sealed bottles; expressed breast milk is allowed in insulated containers.