Air India pet policy: flying with a dog or cat
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Air India carries domesticated dogs and cats in the Economy cabin when the pet and its carrier together weigh 10 kg or less, for Rs 7,500 a sector on domestic flights, plus taxes. You sit in an aisle seat at the back of Economy.
Pets from 10 to 32 kg fly as checked baggage for Rs 16,000; heavier pets go as cargo. Air India cannot carry a pet to or from the USA, Canada or Australia (Air India's policy, checked 21 October 2026).
Air India's pet rules at a glance
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cabin | Economy only, not First, Business or Premium Economy. | Air India |
| Which pets | Domesticated cats and dogs only. | Air India |
| Cabin weight | 10 kg for the pet and carrier together. | Air India |
| Carrier | Soft kennel, at most 17 × 10 × 9 inches; leak-proof, ventilated on three sides, no wheels, fits under the seat. | Air India |
| Pets per flight | At most 2 in the Economy cabin; service animals have priority and count toward the 2. | Air India |
| Your seat | An aisle seat at the back of Economy, the last row, or the last five rows (Air India's pages differ). Two pets sit at least five rows apart, and never in an exit row. | Air India |
| Hold | 10 to 32 kg with the container, as checked baggage in an IATA-standard hard case, depending on the aircraft. Over 32 kg: cargo. | Air India |
| Fees (domestic) | Cabin Rs 7,500; checked baggage Rs 16,000; taxes extra; charged per sector. Not refundable or transferable, except when Air India's own conditions stop the pet flying in the cabin. | Air India |
| Snub-nosed breeds | Not in the hold as checked baggage. Allowed in the cabin, with a vet check advised. | Air India |
| Minimum age | 8 weeks for the cabin, 3 months for the hold. Pregnant pets are not accepted. | Air India |
| Connections | Air India to Air India flights only; pets from other airlines are not accepted. | Air India |
| Who cannot bring a cabin pet | Unaccompanied minors. Passengers who need a wheelchair or travel with an infant can bring a pet, but it travels in the hold. | Air India |
| Guide dogs and support animals | A trained guide dog for a passenger with impaired vision or hearing flies free. Emotional support animals are not accepted. | Air India |
How to book a pet on Air India
Get the vet certificate
A registered vet signs and stamps a health and rabies vaccination certificate saying your pet is fit to fly, issued within 7 days before departure. Bring the vaccination record or pet passport too.
Choose how to book
Upload the documents through Air India's Contact Support page at least 48 hours before departure for a cabin pet, book at an airport or city reservation counter, or bring your pet to the check-in counter with its travel case and papers and buy its ticket there.
Wait for the call
If you uploaded the documents, customer support calls you back to make the booking once they are approved.
Bring the indemnity form
Two signed copies for a direct flight, and two for every segment of a connecting trip, with the originals and photocopies of every document.
Report early
Be at the airport at least 3 hours before departure. Your pet's health and papers are checked before you check in, and the leash comes off before the pet goes into its carrier.
What does Air India charge to fly a pet abroad?
A cabin pet costs USD 140 to USD 225 a sector abroad, depending on the route, and a checked-baggage pet USD 350 a sector. Taxes are extra, and each segment is charged separately.
As published
- Cabin: Oman, Turkey, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, KuwaitUSD 140 Air India
- Cabin: Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri LankaUSD 140 Air India
- Cabin: Mauritius, Kenya, Hong Kong, China, Japan, KoreaUSD 140 Air India
- Cabin: Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, IndonesiaUSD 140 Air India
- Cabin: Europe, excluding the UKUSD 140 Air India
- Cabin: IsraelUSD 160 Air India
- Cabin: UAE and SingaporeUSD 225From the UAE only: Air India takes no pet from India to the UAE. Air India
- Checked baggage (10 to 32 kg): short-haul, Far East, Southeast Asia, Middle East and SAARCUSD 350 Air India
- Checked baggage: medium-haul, Europe (not the UK) and IsraelUSD 350 Air India
- Checked baggage: between two international airportsUSD 350 Air India
Per sector, taxes extra, as on Air India's pet page and its newer Paws on Board guide. Its older PDF guide still prints different bands, see the lines that contradict each other, below.
Which countries can your pet fly to or from on Air India?
Most of Air India's network takes a cabin pet, but not the USA, Canada or Australia; the UK only as cargo; and the UAE in one direction only.
If you are flying to or from the USA, Canada or Australia
Air India cannot carry your pet into or out of these countries, in the cabin or as checked baggage. Air India
If you are flying to or from the UK
Your pet goes only as cargo, through London Heathrow or Gatwick, not Birmingham, pre-booked with Air India Cargo on an air waybill. Air India Cargo
If you are flying from India to the UAE
No pet can go, in the cabin or as checked baggage. Air India
If you are flying from the UAE to India
A cabin pet is possible, subject to the destination's rules. Air India
If your flight is ultra-long-haul
No pet in the cabin, for its well-being on a long flight. Air India
If your pet is leaving or entering India
You need a No Objection Certificate or pre-import clearance from AQCS, and the pet must use the airport named in your permit, one of Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata or Mumbai. Taking a pet abroad Air India
If your trip continues on another airline
That airline's pet rules apply from there. Air India accepts no pets transferring from other airlines. Air India
If the destination refuses your pet entry
Air India is not responsible, and its conditions of carriage exclude liability for the animal's injury, loss, delay, sickness or death in that case. Air India
What does Air India check at the airport before your pet boards?
Your pet's health is checked before you check in; only after the staff give the go-ahead do you go to the check-in counter.
- A health check: staff look for stress (not alert or responsive), ill health (panting in a cool place, coughing, heavy drooling, swelling, vomiting or diarrhoea) and signs of sedation (droopy eyes, slow and shallow breathing). Air India
- Ground staff recheck every document and measure the carrier again to be sure it fits under the seat in front of you. Air India
- Your name must match the owner's name on the health certificate and on the ticket. Air India
- The carrier is labelled with the pet's name, and your names, address, phone numbers and 24-hour contact details. Air India
- A moisture-absorbent mat under the pet and spare mats for the journey; only one pet in each carrier. Air India
- Dry pet food in a sealed container in your cabin bag, and a leash with a suitable harness or collar. Air India
- The leash comes off before the pet goes into the carrier, and no sedatives or tranquillisers. Air India
- The indemnity form, signed by you and countersigned by the duty or airport manager. Air India
- Once the team gives the go-ahead, you proceed to check-in with your pet. Air India
When can Air India refuse or rebook your pet?
On the day, for its carrier, its behaviour, its health or its papers. Approved documents do not guarantee your pet a place.
If a service animal is booked on your flight
Only two animals fly in the cabin and service animals come first, so one pet is rebooked on the next flight. Air India
If the carrier is damaged or the wrong size, or your pet is too young
Air India can refuse the pet, for safety or for not meeting its size or age rules. Air India
If your pet is sedated, tranquillised or pregnant
It is refused. Air India
If your pet is aggressive, or chews and tears at its carrier at check-in
Air India can refuse it. Air India
If your pet is likely to trouble other passengers, for example through allergies
That is one of the reasons Air India lists for refusing a pet. Air India
If a vaccination, health certificate or other paper the departure or arrival country needs is missing
The pet is refused. Checks done before the day do not guarantee it can travel. Air India
If a fellow passenger objects to your pet
Air India moves you to a different seat if one is free, at check-in, at boarding or on the aircraft. Air India
If your pet cannot fly and you want the fee back
The fee is not refunded or transferred, except when the pet cannot travel in the cabin because of conditions Air India itself sets. Air India
What does Air India's pet indemnity form make you accept?
That flying carries real risks for your pet, that no one from the airline looks after it on the way, and that vet care and a refused entry abroad are at your cost.
Word for word
I understand and accept that the transport of the animal by air has inherent risks, including an increased risk of mortality, and that environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity levels may have a significant effect on the health and well-being of the pet
By signing you also accept that no Air India employee accompanies or supervises the pet, that you arrange and pay for any vet care it needs, and that Air India is not liable for emotional distress or other non-economic loss, or for rebooking and hotel costs if another country refuses your pet entry. The duty or airport manager countersigns the form.
What does Air India Cargo ask of a pet over 32 kg?
A pet too heavy for the hold as baggage goes with Air India Cargo, airport to airport, on its own deadlines. Its pet fee is not published: write to [email protected] or call +91 9667106666 (charges may apply).
4 hours
The latest Air India Cargo takes your pet before departure, with a confirmed booking and customs clearance. Air India Cargo
72 hours
Air India Cargo wants signed and stamped health and vaccination certificates “at least 72 hours before the date of travel”. Air India's passenger pages say 7 days. Air India Cargo
3 months
The youngest a pet may be to travel in the cargo hold. Air India Cargo
48 hours
Tell the cargo team if your pet has given birth within this time. Air India Cargo
12 hours
Flights to the US and Canada longer than this take no personal-cargo pets for now. Air India Cargo
Which Air India pet rules contradict each other?
Air India's main pet page, its FAQ, its PDF guides and Air India Cargo do not always say the same thing. Each line below is cited to the page that says it; where they differ, ask Air India which applies to your flight.
One more gap: Air India's newer PDF guide marks the USA, Canada and Australia “cargo only” on its map, while its main page says it cannot carry pets into or out of them and Air India Cargo takes no pets on flights over 12 hours to the US and Canada. Petym lists no cargo option for these three countries.
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seat, FAQ and the main page's summary | Aisle seats in the last row of Economy; two pets at least five rows apart. | Air India |
| Seat, main page text and the newer PDF guide | Aisle seats only, in the last five rows of Economy. | Air India |
| Cabin carrier, one FAQ line | 46 × 46 × 30 cm, in the FAQ's section on pets over 10 kg. Every other Air India page says 17 × 10 × 9 inches: plan for that. | Air India |
| Pets per passenger, older PDF guide | One pet per passenger, where the FAQ allows one in the cabin and one in the hold. Read it as one cabin pet per passenger. | Air India |
| International fees, older PDF guide | USD 140 for the UAE and Singapore and USD 160 for Europe, where the website and the newer guide say USD 225 and USD 140. | Air India |
| Snub-nosed breeds, main pet page | Not permitted in the cargo compartment. | Air India |
| Snub-nosed breeds, Air India Cargo | Carried only when temperatures are below 25 °C. | Air India Cargo |
Going away soon? Tell us your dates.
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- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
Questions owners ask
How much does Air India charge for a pet in the cabin?
- Rs 7,500 per sector on domestic flights, plus taxes, for a dog or cat that weighs 10 kg or less with its carrier. Each flight segment is charged separately. Abroad it is USD 140 to USD 225 a sector, depending on the route.
Can a large dog fly on Air India?
- Yes, in the hold. Pets from 10 to 32 kg with their container fly as checked baggage for Rs 16,000 on domestic flights, in an IATA-standard hard case, depending on the aircraft. Pets over 32 kg go with Air India Cargo.
Can snub-nosed breeds fly on Air India?
- In the cabin, yes: Air India keeps snub-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds out of the hold as checked baggage, and advises a vet check before they fly in the cabin. Its indemnity form advises against flying them if any part of the journey may exceed 20 °C, and Air India Cargo carries them only below 25 °C.
How early must I book my pet on Air India?
- At least 48 hours before departure for a cabin pet booked through Contact Support. Later requests depend on the time and resources available; Air India's FAQ also lets you buy the pet's ticket at the check-in counter, with its travel case and papers.
Can my dog fly Air India to the USA, Canada or Australia?
- No. Air India cannot carry pets into or out of the USA, Canada or Australia, in the cabin or as checked baggage. To or from the UK, pets fly only as cargo, through Heathrow or Gatwick.
Does Air India refund the pet fee if my pet cannot fly?
- Usually not. Air India's Paws on Board fee is “non-refundable and non-transferable, except in cases where the pet is unable to travel in the cabin due to conditions established by the airline.”
Will Air India seat two cabin pets near each other?
- No. Air India seats pet owners in aisle seats at the back of Economy, and “If there are two pets in the same cabin, they will be seated at least five rows apart.”
Keep reading
- Flying with a pet in IndiaAll five domestic airlines side by side.
- Akasa Air pet policyThe other airline with cabin pets.
- Taking a pet abroad from IndiaThe AQCS export certificate.
- Air India Express pet policyService dogs only.
- Dog in train rulesWhen a train is the better option.
Keep exploring
Other airlines
Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- Air India: Travelling with pets (opens in a new tab)
- Air India: FAQ: rules for carriage of pets (opens in a new tab)
- Air India: Paws on Board Guidelines (PDF, read by OCR) (opens in a new tab)
- Air India: Flying with your pet on Air India: pets in cabin guide (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- Air India: Declaration / Indemnity Form for Carriage of Pets (opens in a new tab)
- Air India: Conditions of Carriage (Art. 9.10 Animals) (opens in a new tab)
- Air India Cargo: Pets (personal cargo) and FAQ (opens in a new tab)