For Anjali Menon and her husband Arjun, leaving their beloved Golden Retriever, Bruno, behind was a heartbreaking prospect when they planned to move to London for a new job opportunity. Bruno had been with them since he was one month and now the thought of parting ways was unbearable.
However, their happiness knew no boundary when they discovered Cochin International Airport's (CIAL) has now introduced pet export service. That means, Bruno can now fly from Kochi to London with the help of Qatar Airways.
Anjali shared with a sense of relief and gratitude, “Bruno has been with us through thick and thin; he’s family. Thanks to CIAL, we didn’t have to leave him behind.”
In fact, on Thursday morning, a Lhasa Apso breed puppy named 'Luka' became the first pet to fly from Kochi to Dubai via Doha, according to a CIAL release here.
The pet cargo was handled by Qatar Airways. With this, Cochin Airport became the only airport in Kerala with the permission to export pets abroad.Previously, CIAL only had authorization for the domestic transport of pets. Now, with the clearance for international pet export, pets can be transported as cargo in specially designed cages to any foreign country.
To support this service, CIAL has established a 24-hour air-conditioned pet station, a special cargo section, veterinary doctor on call, a customs clearance centre, and a facilitation centre for individuals accompanying pets for export, it said. Efforts are also underway to secure permissions for the direct import of pet animals, for which a specialized 'Animal Quarantine' centre is being established.In addition to the pet export facility, CIAL already has the permission to export and import fruits and plants. To facilitate this, a 'Plant Quarantine' centre is operational near the cargo section.To avail this service, cargo handling agencies or airlines need to be contacted. S Suhas, Managing Director of CIAL, emphasised the management's objective to equip Cochin airport with the same standards of facilities found in India's leading airports.
"We are trying to offer a comprehensive package to our passengers. As part of this, all passenger touch points have been automated and various value-added facilities have been established. The implementation of the animal import facility is underway. Also, sophisticated security systems like full body scanners will be introduced soon," Suhas said.
He said that the CIAL now has authorisation from the Union Health Ministry, to import drugs and cosmetics, enabling stockists to import them and stock them in bulk quantities.
This marks a significant change from previous limitations, where only limited quantities could be imported through special permissions.
