Emirates adds dedicated pet travel support amid flight disruptions

New service helps pet owners manage bookings amid changing flight schedules

Last updated:
Nivetha Dayanand, Assistant Business Editor
Emirates steps up pet travel support as schedules remain uncertain.
Emirates steps up pet travel support as schedules remain uncertain.
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Dubai: Emirates SkyCargo has set up a dedicated team to handle pet transportation requests from the UAE, offering more structured support for travellers moving animals during a period of shifting flight schedules.

Pet owners, who often face more complex logistics than standard passengers, are expected to benefit from a more streamlined process.

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Dedicated team to manage bookings

The airline said the new team will manage all pet-related enquiries and bookings, providing end-to-end assistance from initial request through to final handover.

“Our team will support you throughout the entire booking process, ensuring each request is handled with speed, clarity, and care. Your pets are family, and their safe and timely travel remains our priority.”

The airline added that every booking will be treated with urgency and sensitivity, particularly given the current environment where schedules can change quickly.

Step-by-step process for approvals

The booking process begins with securing space on a flight, followed by an approximate quotation based on weight and availability. Once accepted, pet owners must complete a detailed documentation process at least 72 hours before departure.

This includes submitting photographs of the pet, vaccination records, microchip details and relevant health certificates, along with destination-specific documents such as EU or UK clearances where required.

Additional approvals may be requested depending on the breed and destination, reflecting tighter regulatory requirements across global markets.

Focus on compliance and safety

The structured process reflects growing scrutiny around animal transport, with airlines required to meet strict health, safety and documentation standards.

Emirates SkyCargo said it will guide customers through each step, including documentation checks, approvals and final handover instructions, which are shared once bookings are confirmed.

What this means for travellers

The introduction of a dedicated team is likely to reduce uncertainty for pet owners navigating international travel rules, particularly during periods of operational disruption.

With flight schedules remaining dynamic, early booking and complete documentation will be critical to avoid delays, while the added support could help ensure smoother coordination between departure and destination requirements.

Nivetha Dayanand
Nivetha DayanandAssistant Business Editor
Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, covering aviation, financial markets and commodities. A business and financial journalist with a strong interest in multimedia storytelling, she regularly takes complex financial and economic subjects beyond the written word, producing explainer videos that make them easier for a wider audience to understand. Nivetha has interviewed senior policymakers, business leaders and global financial figures both on and off camera. Her past guests include UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, a member of the House of Saud and the founder and CEO of KBW Ventures, Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund and Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu. She has also hosted and moderated panels, conferences and awards shows, bringing her newsroom experience to live conversations on business, finance and the economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha is drawn to stories that affect people directly and to reporting that gives a platform to voices that might otherwise go unheard. She was among the first journalists to speak to Petrofac employees in the UAE about unpaid salaries, broke the news of the planned demolition of Dubai’s well-known “Toyota Building”, and helped set the record straight on widely circulated claims that a giant replica of the Moon was coming to Dubai. More recently, her exclusive interview with EDGE Group CEO Hamad Al Marar revealed how the UAE-based defence group deployed its systems along the country’s shore border and established a geofence around the UAE within 48 hours of the February 28 escalation. Prior to joining Gulf News, Nivetha worked at ITP Media, where she helped launch Finance Middle East, a new publication covering the region’s financial sector. Her role spanned reporting and editing, video production, interviews and events. Across print, digital, and video, she focuses on finding the people behind business stories and explaining why those stories matter to the audience reading or watching them.
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