Akasa Air pet policy: flying with a dog or cat
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Akasa Air carries domesticated dogs and cats in the cabin on domestic non-stop flights, up to 10 kg including the container, for Rs 7,500 including taxes. Pets over 10 kg and up to 32 kg fly in the hold for Rs 15,000.
Book through the Akasa Care Centre by phone, at least 24 hours before departure. Akasa's own pages disagree on whether the pet fee is refunded if you cancel (Akasa's policy and terms, checked 21 October 2026).
Akasa Air's pet rules at a glance
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cabin | Domestic non-stop flights only, Pets on Akasa does not cover its international flights. All breeds may travel in the cabin. | Akasa Air |
| Cabin weight | Up to 10 kg including the container. | Akasa Air |
| Container (cabin) | At most 19 × 12.6 × 10 inches, under the seat in front. The pet stays inside, closed, at the airport and on the flight. | Akasa Air |
| Pets per flight | Three in all, two in the cabin, one in the hold, first come, first served. One cabin and one hold pet per passenger. | Akasa Air |
| Your seat | A window seat, never an exit row. Unaccompanied minors cannot bring a cabin pet; with an infant, your pet goes in the hold. Akasa does not recommend pets for passengers who need a wheelchair. | Akasa Air |
| Hold | Over 10 kg and up to 32 kg, travelling with you on your PNR, in a rigid container at most 36 × 28 × 28 inches with a water bowl. | Akasa Air |
| Cargo | Over 32 kg and up to 100 kg, unaccompanied, from the cargo terminal; nothing over 100 kg. Not from Pune or Agartala until further notice. | Akasa Air |
| Fees | Cabin Rs 7,500; hold Rs 15,000; both include taxes and may change. | Akasa Air |
| Refunds | Akasa's pages disagree. Its Conditions of Carriage say the pet fee is not refunded if you cancel; one FAQ answer says it is refunded when you cancel the sector the pet was booked on. Ask before you cancel. | Akasa Air |
| Health certificate | From a registered vet, obtained no more than 72 hours before travel in Akasa's terms, which also say it stays valid for 15 days from issue. | Akasa Air |
| Snub-nosed breeds | Not in the hold. Allowed in the cabin, with a vet's advice, at the owner's risk. | Akasa Air |
| Age and pregnancy | At least 3 months old; not accepted if more than 4 weeks pregnant. | Akasa Air |
| Guide dogs | One per aircraft, and only if no other passenger has already asked to bring a guide dog or a cabin pet on that aircraft. | Akasa Air |
How to book a pet on Akasa Air
Get the vet papers
A rabies vaccination certificate and a fit-to-fly certificate, both signed and stamped by a registered vet, with originals and photocopies. Akasa's terms ask for the certificate within 72 hours of travel; its FAQ says it is valid 15 days from issue, ask which applies to you.
Call the Akasa Care Centre
Book on +91 9606 11 21 31, at least 24 hours before departure. Cabin pets cannot be booked on the website, through travel agents or at the airport. Questions go to [email protected].
Sign the indemnity form
Download it from Akasa's pet page or ask for one at check-in. Your pet is not accepted to fly until you sign and hand it in.
Report at least 2 hours early
Show the muzzle and leash at check-in, or the dog cannot fly. Dogs stay muzzled in the cabin, and sedated pets are not accepted.
How has Akasa Air's pet service grown since 2022?
Past 10,000 pets in a little over three years, most of them in the cabin, with the cabin limit and the certificate rule eased on the way. These are Akasa's own figures, from its releases of May 2024 and 20 February 2026; its busiest pet route is Bengaluru to Delhi to Bengaluru, with 13.66% of all pet travel.
10,000 pets
More than this many flown by February 2026, since Pets on Akasa began on 1 November 2022. Akasa Air
93 %
Of those pets travelled in the cabin. Akasa Air
60 %
Were dogs; the other 40% were cats. Akasa Air
26 cities
Across India that the service covers, on domestic flights. Akasa Air
35 %
Nearly this share of a year's pet journeys falls in October to December. Akasa Air
26 %
Of pet owners have flown Akasa with their pet more than once. Akasa Air
10 kg
The cabin limit since May 2024, up from 7 kg. Akasa Air
15 days
How long a fit-to-fly certificate stays valid since May 2024, up from 3 days. Akasa Air
3 pets
Per flight today, two in the cabin and one in the hold. Akasa Air
How does a pet travel alone as cargo on Akasa Air?
A pet over 32 kg, or one flying without you, goes as cargo from the cargo terminal, up to 100 kg with its container, booked at least 24 hours ahead.
Check the weight
Up to 100 kg with the container. Pets over 32 kg cannot leave from Pune or Agartala for now. Akasa Air
Book 24 hours ahead
Through the Akasa Care Centre or the cargo terminal. It is not tagged to any ticket you hold. Akasa Air
Drop off and wait
Bring the shipper's declaration, ID, both contact details and the health certificate. Stay until take-off. Akasa Air
Collect
At the arrival airport's cargo terminal, with the air waybill number and the receiver's ID. Akasa Air
What happens to your pet if an Akasa Air flight is delayed or cancelled?
Akasa keeps a delayed pet supervised and rebooks it on the next available flight. A pet turned away for its behaviour can cost you your ticket and the pet fee.
If your flight is delayed
Your pet is kept in a comfortable area and checked regularly. If you are on the same flight, you can see it at the passenger terminal. Akasa Air
If the delay is long
Akasa says it will make sure you are reunited with your pet, and will try to rebook it on the next available flight. Akasa Air
If the flight is cancelled
Akasa books your pet on the next available flight that day, if there is space. Akasa Air
If your pet scratches, whines or barks a lot, growls, bites or lunges, or soils the cabin or gate area
It can be turned away. If that stops you flying too, Akasa refunds neither your ticket nor the pet fee. Akasa Air
If you are waiting for a hold pet at the other end
Akasa hands a pet carried in the cargo compartment over to you at the passenger terminal on arrival. Akasa Air
Is your breed on Akasa Air's at-risk list?
Akasa links an indicative list of breeds at risk, because they are sensitive to heat and humidity and can struggle to breathe when stressed or as altitude changes. These may fly in the cabin, with a vet's advice, but not in the hold.
- Bulldog and Bull Mastiff Akasa Air
- Affenpinscher and Chow Chow Akasa Air
- Boxer and Boston Terrier Akasa Air
- Cane Corso and French Bulldog Akasa Air
- English Toy Spaniel and Japanese Chin Akasa Air
- Lhasa Apso and Pekingese Akasa Air
- Pug and Shih Tzu Akasa Air
- Cats: Persian and Exotic Shorthair. Akasa's FAQ and terms speak only of dog breeds, so ask Akasa whether these cats may fly in the hold. Akasa Air
- The indemnity form you sign covers a snub-nosed pet too: Akasa is not responsible for its injury, sickness, loss or death. Akasa Air
What does Akasa Air ask of you at security and on board?
Your pet stays in its closed container from security to arrival, except for the walk through the scanner.
Do
Don’t
- Don't take your pet out of its container or hold it on your lap: it stays inside for the whole flight. Akasa Air
- Don't put food inside the container. Akasa Air
- Don't count the carrier as your cabin bag: the pet fee applies whether or not you carry other cabin baggage. Akasa Air
- Don't expect an empty carrier or stroller to fly free: it goes as checked baggage, at the usual rates. Akasa Air
Where do Akasa Air's FAQ and its terms disagree?
Akasa's Pets on Akasa FAQ and its Conditions of Carriage, the binding terms, differ on refunds, the certificate and where to book. Each line below is cited to the page that says it. Ask the Akasa Care Centre (+91 9606 11 21 31) which applies before you book or cancel.
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Refund, Conditions of Carriage, clause 18.4(w) | Not refunded if you cancel the pet's booking, or the booking it was tagged to. | Akasa Air |
| Refund, FAQ, first answer | Not refunded if the whole PNR, or only the pet's travel, is cancelled. | Akasa Air |
| Refund, FAQ, second answer | Refunded only if you cancel your own booking for the sector the pet fee is tied to. | Akasa Air |
| Certificate, Conditions of Carriage and the pet page's summary box | Obtained no more than 72 hours before travel, and valid for 15 days from issue. | Akasa Air |
| Certificate, FAQ | Valid for 15 days from its issue date, with no 72-hour line. | Akasa Air |
| Booking a hold pet, FAQ | One answer says at the airport counter, added to your PNR; another says only through the care centre, never at the airport. | Akasa Air |
| Booking a hold pet, Conditions of Carriage | By calling the call centre; pets over 32 kg can also be booked at the cargo terminal. | Akasa Air |
| A pet alone as cargo, Conditions of Carriage | Booked through a cargo agent. The FAQ says the care centre or the cargo terminal. | Akasa Air |
When did Akasa Air start taking two pets in the cabin?
From news reports, not yet an official source.
Akasa's own release of 20 February 2026 lists the changes, up to three pets per flight, 10 kg in the cabin, simpler booking and a more flexible health certificate policy, but not when each was made.
No Akasa page gives a date for the move to two cabin pets per flight.
30 September 2025
TravelMole reported that Akasa Air “now allows passengers to travel with two pets in the cabin”. TravelMolenews report
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Questions owners ask
How much does Akasa Air charge for a pet?
- Rs 7,500 for a pet in the cabin (up to 10 kg with the container) and Rs 15,000 for a pet in the hold (up to 32 kg), both including taxes. Akasa says the fees may change.
Can I book a pet on the Akasa Air website?
- No. Pets are booked through the 24/7 Akasa Care Centre on +91 9606 11 21 31, at least 24 hours before departure. One FAQ answer also mentions the airport counter for a pet in the hold.
Does Akasa Air take pets on connecting flights?
- Not in the cabin: Akasa carries cabin pets on domestic non-stop flights only.
Does my dog need a muzzle on Akasa Air?
- Yes. Dogs stay muzzled in the cabin, and you must show the muzzle and leash at check-in or the dog cannot fly.
Is the Akasa Air pet fee refunded if I cancel?
- Akasa's pages disagree. Its Conditions of Carriage and one FAQ answer say the pet fee is not refunded if you cancel; another FAQ answer says it is refunded only when you cancel your own booking for the sector the fee is tied to. Ask the Akasa Care Centre before you cancel.
Can I send my pet alone on Akasa Air?
- Yes, as cargo from the cargo terminal, up to 100 kg including the container, booked at least 24 hours ahead. The person dropping the pet off must stay at the cargo terminal until the flight takes off, and the pet is collected at the destination's cargo terminal.
Does a pet carrier count as my cabin bag on Akasa Air?
- No. Akasa says carry-on baggage “cannot be replaced with the carriage of a pet or pet container”. The pet fee applies whether or not you carry other cabin baggage.
Does Akasa Air carry pets on its international flights?
- No. Akasa says Pets on Akasa is currently available on domestic flights within India.
Keep reading
- Flying with a pet in IndiaAll five domestic airlines side by side.
- Air India pet policyCabin pets, and connections on Air India.
- SpiceJet pet policyDogs in the hold only.
- IndiGo 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
- Akasa Air: Pets on Akasa: policy and FAQ (opens in a new tab)
- Akasa Air: Conditions of Carriage (cl. 9 service dogs; cl. 18 pets) (opens in a new tab)
- Akasa Air: Identifying brachycephalic Dog & Cat Breeds (file dated 21 Oct 2022) (opens in a new tab)
- Akasa Air: Indemnity and Disclaimer Form for Carriage of Pets (file dated 5 Aug 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- Akasa Air: Akasa Air crosses 10,000-pet milestone (press release, 20 Feb 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Akasa Air: Akasa Air enhances its pet travel service (press release, 8 May 2024) (opens in a new tab)
- TravelMole: Akasa Air enhances pet travel service (30 Sep 2025) (opens in a new tab)