Is flying in cargo safe for my dog?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
For most healthy dogs, yes. Dogs in the hold travel in a pressurised, heated and ventilated compartment, and IATA says many travel well there because it is dark and quiet. The risk is real but concentrated: snub-nosed breeds, old, sick, overweight or stressed dogs, hot weather and long waits on the ground.
Ask your vet whether your dog is fit to fly, get it used to its crate weeks ahead, fly direct in the cool part of the day, and never sedate it. If your dog is a Pug, Shih Tzu or another flat-faced breed, Indian airlines will not take it in the hold at all.
What is the hold actually like for a dog?
Pressurised and ventilated, but unattended, and less controlled while the plane waits on the ground.
IATA's page for pet owners says dogs and cats travel in a heated and ventilated hold, and that many actually travel better there than in the cabin because it is quieter and they rest in the dark. It says the animals' environmental needs are considered during loading, unloading and at transit stops. Akasa Air says it keeps its cargo compartments between 18 and 22 °C, so a pet needs no coat.
The AVMA adds two cautions. The air in the hold is much the same as the cabin's, but its circulation may not suit your dog, and a crate can affect ventilation. And nobody is in the hold to watch your dog: if something goes wrong, you will not know until the plane has landed. The AVMA also notes that temperature controls are often turned down on the tarmac, so a long wait on the ground can let the hold grow too hot or cold.
How often do dogs die in airline holds?
Rarely, but the deaths cluster in flat-faced breeds. These are the US Department of Transportation figures the AVMA reports; Petym found no Indian airline or DGCA figures published in the same way.
122
Dog deaths linked to airline flights over five years, in US DOT statistics released in July 2010 AVMA
About 50 %
Share of those deaths involving short-nosed breeds such as Pugs, Boxers, Pekingese, Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus and Bulldogs AVMA
25
Of the 122 were English Bulldogs, the largest single breed; Pugs came next with 11 AVMA
10 %
How much larger IATA's rules make the crate for a snub-nosed dog, which is also stowed as far as practical from other loads IATA
Which dogs face the most risk in the hold?
Most of the risk sits with a few groups. If your dog is in one of them, talk to your vet before you book.
| Why the risk is higher | What airlines and vets say | |
|---|---|---|
| Snub-nosed breeds (Pug, Shih Tzu, Bulldog, Boxer, Pekingese) AVMA | Narrow nostrils, a long soft palate and a narrow windpipe make breathing and cooling harder, and the airway can collapse under stress | Air India and Akasa Air take them in the cabin only, not the hold; SpiceJet refuses them |
| Any dog in hot weather IATA | Snub-nosed dogs struggle to keep a normal body temperature in heat | IATA does not recommend moving snub-nosed dogs in the hot season |
| Old, chronically ill or overweight dogs AVMA | Underlying illness, age and obesity raise the risk of problems in transport | The AVMA advises keeping a dog healthy and at a normal weight, and asking your vet first |
| Sedated dogs IATA | Most tranquillisers lower blood pressure, as altitude does; IATA calls the combination potentially fatal in old, sick or stressed animals | Air India and Akasa Air refuse sedated pets |
| Very young puppies IATA | Risk of dehydration in air transport | IATA's rules say weaned puppies and kittens under 8 weeks must not be shipped; airlines set their own, higher minimum ages |
Why does the Indian summer matter so much?
Because the hold is safest in the air and riskiest on a hot tarmac, and Indian airports are very hot for months.
India Meteorological Department counts a heat wave on the plains once the day's maximum reaches 40 °C, and its advice says never to leave pets in parked vehicles. The AVMA's point about the tarmac applies directly: on a hot afternoon, the time your dog spends in the hold before take-off, at a layover or after landing is the riskiest part of the trip.
Air India Cargo carries snub-nosed and flat-faced pets only when temperatures are below 25 °C, and Air India's indemnity form strongly recommends not sending a short-headed pet, even in the cabin, if any part of the journey may pass 20 °C. Petym found no published summer embargo for other dogs on Indian airlines.
How do you make a cargo flight safer for your dog?
Fitness, the crate, the clock and the route.
- See your vet before you book and ask whether your dog is fit to fly. The AVMA advises asking about breathing health for any short-nosed breed. AVMA
- Buy the crate early and let your dog get used to it a few weeks or months before departure, as IATA advises. IATA
- Use a crate your dog can stand in without touching the top, turn round and lie down in, ventilated on opposite sides, with a leak-proof floor. AVMA
- Line it with a thin blanket or flat newspaper, not thick towels a dog could bury its nose in. AVMA
- Book a direct flight, or as few stops as possible, so your dog is not left waiting in a hold or on the tarmac. Merck Veterinary Manual
- In hot months fly early in the morning or late in the evening, as the Merck Veterinary Manual advises. Merck Veterinary Manual
- Cut food the day before, keep water available, and give a light meal about two hours before handing your dog over, following IATA's advice. IATA
- Do not sedate your dog. Tell the cabin crew your dog is in the hold, and collect it as soon as you land. AVMA
Should your dog fly in the hold, the cabin, or not at all?
Weight, breed, season and distance decide most of it.
If your dog weighs 10 kg or less with its carrier and you fly within India
Ask for the cabin. Air India and Akasa Air both carry small dogs in the cabin, which avoids the hold altogether. By air: airlines compared Akasa Air
If your dog is snub-nosed and too heavy for the cabin
The hold is not an option on Air India or Akasa Air, and SpiceJet refuses these breeds. Consider the train or a road trip instead. By train Air India
If your dog is large, healthy and long-nosed
The hold is the usual route. Plan the crate, a direct flight and a cool departure time with your vet's advice. Air India Air India
If your dog is old, ill or very anxious and the trip is short
Ask your vet whether it should travel at all. A sitter at home may be kinder for a short trip than two flights in a hold. Overnight sitting
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Questions owners ask
Is the cargo hold of a plane cold or dark for a dog?
- It is dark, which IATA says helps many dogs rest, and it is heated and ventilated in flight. Akasa Air says it keeps its cargo compartments between 18 and 22 °C. The AVMA warns that temperature control can be weaker while a plane waits on the ground, so long layovers and tarmac delays carry the most risk.
Can a Pug or Shih Tzu fly in cargo in India?
- Not on Air India or Akasa Air, which carry snub-nosed breeds only in the cabin, within the cabin weight limit. SpiceJet refuses them outright. The AVMA says these breeds are more vulnerable to the air and temperature in a hold, and about half of the dog deaths in the US figures it reports involved short-nosed breeds.
Should I sedate my dog before a cargo flight?
- No. IATA does not recommend tranquillising dogs, because most tranquillisers lower blood pressure, as altitude does, and the combination can be fatal in old, sick or stressed animals. The AVMA strongly recommends against it, and Air India and Akasa Air refuse sedated pets. Talk to your vet about crate training instead.
What month is safest to fly a dog in cargo in India?
- The cooler months are safer, especially for any dog that struggles in heat. IMD's heat-wave season runs through the summer, when plains airports can pass 40 °C. Whatever the month, fly early in the morning or late in the evening and book a direct flight to cut time on a hot tarmac.
Do Indian airlines tell you if something happens to a dog in the hold?
- Nobody rides in the hold, so the AVMA warns that you will not know of a problem until the plane lands and your dog is unloaded. Tell the cabin crew that your dog is in the hold, and go straight to collect it on arrival. Petym found no published Indian pet incident figures.
Keep reading
- Flying with a pet in IndiaWhich airlines carry pets, in the cabin and the hold.
- Air India pet policyHold limits, Air India Cargo and snub-nosed breeds.
- Akasa Air pet policyCabin and hold pets, booked by phone.
- Heatstroke in dogs
- Pet travel rules in India
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Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- AVMA: Air travel and short-nosed dogs FAQ (read in the web-archive copy of 27/28 Sep 2026; the live page is behind a bot wall) (opens in a new tab)
- AVMA: Traveling with your pet FAQ (read in the web-archive copy of 24 Feb 2026; the live page is behind a bot wall) (opens in a new tab)
- IATA: Traveler's Pet Corner (opens in a new tab)
- IATA: Live Animals Regulations, Container Requirement 1 (Edition 52, January 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Traveling by Plane With Pets (Full Review Jun 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- Akasa Air: Pets on Akasa: policy and FAQ (opens in a new tab)
Show all 11 sourcesShow fewer
- Air India: Travelling with pets (opens in a new tab)
- Air India Cargo: Pets (personal cargo) and FAQ (opens in a new tab)
- Air India: Declaration / Indemnity Form for Carriage of Pets (opens in a new tab)
- SpiceJet: Terms and conditions of carriage: carriage of live animals (AVI) (opens in a new tab)
- India Meteorological Department: FAQ on heat wave (opens in a new tab)