Now air passengers won’t have to worry about taking their pets along while flying out of the national Capital, with a new facility at the Delhi airport promising a hassle-free journey for the animals. A pet travel information and facilitation desk has been set up at the IGI Airport in the Capital to help passengers fly without fearing handling problems and cumbersome regulatory clearance procedures for their pets. Earlier, pet owners had to make rounds of various offices and book their pets in cargo before boarding their flight. But now, to send the pet, a passenger will have two options — either they can send their pet through cargo or it can be booked on excess baggage ticket with the airline, a statement from Delhi International Airport limited (DIAl), which operates IGI Airport, said.
The facility has been set up at airport by Pet Fly, a company that ensures a friendly travel for pet and takes care of all the necessary formalities, including quarantine, passport, custom clearance, travel (domestic and international), flight booking, pick, drop, inspection and consultation. For passengers who want to take their pets as an excess baggage, the pet owners will have to visit the Pet Fly desk, which will facilitate them in seeking clearance from the airline, accommodate pet in a kennel of appropriate size and get it checked-in as excess baggage, it said. The kennel is then scanned through X-ray machine before passenger boards the flight with their pets.
The desk would also help passengers wanting to fly abroad with their pet or coming from abroad. For international departures and arrivals, clearance from Customs and Animal Quarantine Office are required and the desk would help the flyers in obtaining them. Pet Fly was launched in 2005 and has a team of vet doctors for treating and relocating pets worldwide. The organisation is the member of International Pet & Animal Transportation Association (IPATA) and Animal Transport Association (ATA).