Airlines to prominently display pet carriage policy on their websites: DGCA

New Delhi: Aviation regulator DGCA on Tuesday advised airlines to formulate and prominently display the policy for carriage of pets on their websites. Airlines are allowed to carry to, from and within India, animals, birds, and reptiles. Currently, at least two Indian carriers including, Air India and Akasa Air permit passengers to carry pets onboard. In SpiceJet, pets can be carried in cargo hold of domestic flights.

ICAO has not yet issued any guidelines to carry pets: DGCA official

A senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has not yet issued any Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) or guidelines with regard to carriage of pets in passenger compartment.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has permitted their airlines to have their own respective policies for carriage of pets in cabin.

Aviation regulator DGCA carries out 4,378 surveillance activities

Airlines can develop procedures for carriage of pets in cabin

The aviation safety regulators worldwide have not issued any specific policy for carriage of pets inside cabin and they have allowed airlines to develop respective procedures for the same. In accordance with existing norms, the official said that airlines are permitted to formulate their own procedures for carriage of pets/live animals in the cabin as the final responsibility of safety of flight is with the Pilot-In-Command of the flight.

"All airlines are advised to formulate and prominently display on their websites policy of carriage of pets for better understanding of the passengers," the official added. The advisory is with respect to scheduled passenger flights. In October last year, Akasa Air announced that it will allow domesticated dogs and cats in cabin as well as cargo.

(PSU Watch– India's Business News centre that places the spotlight on PSUs, Bureaucracy, Defence and Public Policy is now on Google News. Click here to follow. Also, join PSU Watch Channel in your Telegram. You may also follow us on Twitter here and stay updated.)