Plan animal travel
with Cyprus Airways.

Choose the right travel arrangement

For Cyprus Airways-operated flights, ordinary cats and dogs may travel in a cabin carrier (PETC) or as accompanied checked animals (AVIH), subject to acceptance. An unaccompanied animal needs a separate cargo arrangement. A guide dog requires the assistance process, not an ordinary pet booking. These are four different services.

This guide concerns Charlie Airlines Limited trading as Cyprus Airways. It is not a guide to TUS Airways or other Cyprus operators. Check the operating airline on every flight; a Cyprus Airways ticket does not make its pet rules apply to a partner flight.

Pet travel policy · Conditions of carriage

Confirm animal space before committing

Reserve ordinary pet transport at least 24 hours before departure, online or through +357 24 000 053. Only adults may accompany pets, and the owner and pet must take the same flight for cabin or checked-hold transport.

Prepare dates, flight numbers, species, breed or cross, age, animal weight, loaded carrier weight and external dimensions. Ask for confirmation for every sector and the return flight, not just payment for the passenger. Reconfirm after an aircraft or itinerary change. Starting early is planning advice, not a substitute for the airline deadline.

Pet travel policy · Airline FAQ

Cabin: three different counts

The conditions specify one animal per carrier, one pet per passenger and at most three cabin pets per flight. The animal alone must weigh no more than 8 kg; animal plus carrier no more than 10 kg. Maximum carrier dimensions are 45 × 35 × 20 cm. The three-pet flight limit does not guarantee a remaining place.

The carrier stays closed under the seat, not on a lap. The animal must fit comfortably standing, turning and lying down. The detailed pet page permits soft-sided carriers; the FAQ describes firm plastic or metal without separating modes. As a stricter preparation baseline, consider a rigid carrier meeting all cabin limits, but obtain approval of the exact model before buying it; the published soft-carrier permission remains in conflict with the FAQ. Provide four-sided ventilation, a secure closure, absorbent leak-proof lining and a Live Animal label that does not obstruct ventilation. Cabin pet passengers cannot reserve enhanced-comfort or emergency-exit seating under the conditions.

Conditions of carriage · Pet travel policy · Airline FAQ

Checked hold: confirm the crate and occupants

The hold allowance is one container per adult passenger. A container may hold up to two compatible adult animals, each no heavier than 14 kg; animals above 14 kg need separate containers. Up to three animals of the same species aged under six months may share. These are per-container rules, not three animals per passenger automatically.

The reviewed text does not expressly require the youngsters to be littermates or establish a same-household condition. It also does not clearly authorize mixing adult species. Ask about the actual animals together; do not turn silence into permission. Every animal must independently satisfy age, health and entry requirements.

Use an airline-approved IATA-compliant rigid crate with room for natural posture, secure closure, four-sided ventilation, absorbent leak-resistant bedding and an externally refillable water bowl; remove or disable wheels. Overall hold weight, crate-size ceiling, aircraft-wide hold quota and combined cabin-plus-hold allowance were not verified. Obtain these for your aircraft before buying the crate.

Conditions of carriage · Pet travel policy

Check age and breed before choosing a date

The airline excludes animals under 105 days. Its simultaneous wording about rabies evidence for kittens or puppies under 12 weeks is inconsistent; do not interpret that as an exception allowing a younger pet. Use at least 105 days as the stricter preparation baseline, not a waiver of vaccination or entry requirements; ask for written clarification if age is close to a threshold.

Snub-nosed animals and relevant crosses cannot use checked hold; the conditions also exclude them from cargo. Cabin remains conditional on all cabin limits. Ask the airline to check its breed list against your animal, including unlisted brachycephalic breeds. Specified strong breeds need a reinforced CR82 crate; the pet page describes an age/weight exemption, but this does not override breed bans, minimum age or a country’s entry rules. Obtain the exact crate decision. Pregnancy needs veterinary fitness confirmation; animals within 48 hours of giving birth are excluded.

Pet travel policy · Airline FAQ · Conditions of carriage

Cargo and route restrictions

Ordinary pets on Larnaca–Dubai and dogs/cats travelling to the UK are directed to cargo by the pet policy. Do not read the Dubai line under the additional-services hold price table as AVIH approval. Ask cargo at +357 24 008 801 about acceptance, airport, handling, documents and a complete quote.

For other species, the pet page broadly points to cargo and even mentions hamsters, whereas the conditions prohibit rodents and goats. Cargo is therefore not a blanket alternative for every animal. Resolve species eligibility before arranging transport. A route restriction for ordinary pets is not enough to decide a guide-dog case; ask the assistance team separately. Partner-operated sectors need the partner’s approval.

Pet travel policy · Conditions of carriage · Additional services

Guide and assistance dogs: use the separate process

Published free cabin acceptance explicitly covers guide dogs assisting visually impaired passengers. The assistance page also mentions guide dogs under hearing assistance, so other task-trained dogs need an individual answer rather than assumed acceptance or automatic refusal. Emotional-support animals are not accepted as that category.

Call +357 24 000 053: the dog-specific pages say not to book online, despite general online options on the assistance page. Request assistance and submit the special-services application at least 48 hours ahead. Ask the call centre for the correct current form and submission route; do not substitute an unrelated medical form.

The dog-specific guidance asks for training evidence through IGDF/ADI-member organizations; the FAQ additionally names ADEu. Resolve any difference for your organization. This is airline wording, not a universal certification law. The assistance page also requires Veterinary Services approval: ask which office, document and timing apply.

Confirm muzzle, leash, floor space at your feet and safe securing. The pet page describes a free adjacent seat subject to availability; it is not permission for the dog to occupy a seat. Dog counts, other service-dog categories and route-specific exceptions are unresolved. Import and transit paperwork still apply.

Special assistance · Pet travel policy · Airline FAQ · Conditions of carriage

Get a written price, not an assumed tariff

The official fee pages disagree. For Athens/Heraklion, the pet page lists €70 cabin and €150 hold, while Additional Services lists €50 and €100. The FAQ uses still different duration-based charges. These figures document the conflict, not a price offer. Ask for a written total per sector, including connections and return travel, before paying.

The conditions describe voluntarily unused PETC/AVIH ancillary prepayments as non-refundable and non-transferable, with possible involuntary refunds. Ask how a flight change, airline refusal or cancellation affects both the animal service and passenger ticket. A cargo estimate must include handling and destination charges, not just the airline line item.

Additional services · Airline FAQ · Conditions of carriage · Pet travel policy

Entry and transit are separate checks

Airline acceptance does not grant border entry. For Cyprus, verify identification, rabies timing, the appropriate passport or official certificate, any antibody test and the arrival procedure with Veterinary Services. Its page requires notification at least 48 hours before arrival from a third country and states a 105-day minimum. The national page still cites older EU legislation, while the Commission now points to Regulation (EU) 2026/131; obtain the currently valid certificate and procedure rather than relying on an old linked form. This is not the airline booking deadline.

Country-of-origin and transit history matter: the Cyprus authority specifically flags rabies antibody testing for arrivals from Russia and Belarus. Its page also contains broad hybrid-cat exclusion wording alongside a later F5-or-later Bengal/Savannah documentation provision. Do not treat either paragraph alone as clearance: obtain authority confirmation for the particular cat.

Use current government rules for the destination, transit points and return. The government’s animal-count rules are not airline carrier or aircraft quotas. Cargo does not by itself determine whether a movement is commercial. For Great Britain, consult its own pet-entry and assistance-dog procedures rather than extending ordinary cargo wording to every dog. Start document planning well before booking; the exact preparation period depends on the route.

Cyprus Veterinary Services · European Commission animal movements · Great Britain pet entry

Before departure and at the airport

Keep the animal-service confirmation and original travel documents accessible. Ask the airline for the animal-specific check-in time and handover point; no universal numeric pet check-in deadline was established in the reviewed policy. Arrive with time for staff to check the animal, weight, container and documents.

For a connection, confirm who handles the animal, whether collection and recheck are needed and which border formalities apply. These transfer details were not verified as a universal Cyprus Airways process. Keep cabin carriers closed throughout boarding, flight and disembarkation. Plan veterinary care and any medication with your veterinarian; do not improvise sedation. Before leaving the arrival area, check the animal and container and report any problem to the handling staff.

Pet travel policy · Special assistance

Related planning

Related reading: Service-dog planning · Journey planning worksheet.

Official sources and scope

• Pet travel policy
• Conditions of carriage
• Additional services
• Airline FAQ
• Special assistance
• Cyprus Veterinary Services
• European Commission animal movements
• Great Britain pet entry

Official sources checked 23 October 2026. Conflicting details need itinerary-specific confirmation.