Passengers travelling with pets

Home > Manage My Trip > Special Travel Needs > Passengers travelling with pets

Travel instructions

Pets refer to domesticated dogs, cats and birds.

Please submit a pet shipping request to our designated direct sales office one day prior to flight departure and complete a Pet Shipping Reservation Request.

Your pets cannot be carried in the passenger cabin and must be placed in the cargo hold.

Valid certificates required for the entry/exit of pets to/from the People’s of Republic of China and transit countries involved in the pet’s transport must be in place, such as health certificates and quarantine certificates.

Air China may reject carriage of pregnant pets or pets that have given birth within 48 hours.

As pet shipping requires certain types of aircraft, your request to travel with pets may be approved only after we have made appropriate arrangements.

We have the right to change the aircraft type before flight departure. If your flight fails to accommodate your pet due to a change in aircraft type, you may choose not to travel with your pet or to take another flight that can accommodate pets.

Please arrive with your pet at the airport and complete the check-in procedures at least 120 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time on the travel date.

The pet and its container and meal are considered as overweight baggage. You will be charged a fee for shipping your pet at the airport when you complete the shipping procedures.

If your pets are injured, become ill, escape or die under normal shipping conditions, we do not assume any liability. You must assume full responsibility for your checked pets.

Shipping containers for pets must meet the following requirements:

1. The container shall be strong enough to protect the pet and keep it from escaping, and to preven1t it from reaching out of the container to cause injuries and/or damage to personnel, baggage, cargo and the aircraft. The container shall be large enough for the pet to stand and move about in and shall have adequate ventilation to prevent suffocation. The container must have a solid waterproof bottom and sides to contain urine and feces so as not to contaminate the aircraft, in-flight devices and other objects.
2. No more than two adult pets of comparable size, weighing as much as 14 kg each, can be shipped in the same container. Pets weighing more than 14 kg each must be shipped individually. A maximum of three animals that are less than six months old and from the same litter can be shipped in the same cage.
3. On domestic routes, the maximum total weight of the container, pet, food and water is 45 kg. On international routes, the maximum total weight is 32 kg. If the total weight is between 32 kg and 45 kg, they may subject to the relevant regulations of the arriving airport. If the total weight of the pet, container, food and water exceeds the maximum weight, the pet must be shipped as cargo instead of checked baggage.
4. Each flight can accommodate no more than two pet containers.