Live Animals Regulations

LAR · International Air Transport Association

The worldwide rulebook for carrying a dog by air, adopted by most airlines as the condition of flying one.

01 What It Is

The Live Animals Regulations are the standard the International Air Transport Association publishes for the carriage of live animals by air. They are not law, but most major airlines adopt them into their conditions of carriage, which makes them the de facto global standard for flying a dog safely. A new edition is issued each year.

02 What It Covers

The regulations specify how a travel container must be built, sized and ventilated so a dog can stand, turn and lie down naturally, along with requirements for handling, labelling, feeding, bedding and the density of animals carried. The container rules are detailed, down to the proportion of a crate’s surface that must be ventilated and on how many sides.

03 How It Is Checked

Compliance is enforced commercially rather than by a regulator: an airline that has adopted the regulations will refuse a booking, or a container, that does not meet them. Because acceptance for the flight depends on meeting the standard, it governs in practice even though it is an industry document rather than a statute.

04 Why It Matters

Air travel is one of the most stressful and potentially dangerous things that can happen to a dog, and a poorly designed or undersized crate can be deadly. The regulations are what make a safe container and safe handling the baseline for flying a dog with a major airline, the same the world over rather than left to each carrier.

Primary sources

IATA Live Animals Regulationsiata.org