After Multiple Dog Deaths, UN May Set Global Safety Standards for Pets on Planes

More and more pets are traveling by plane than ever. According to the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association, more than four million animals catch a flight each year, and that number is only climbing. New airlines are popping up that cater specifically to dogs, and traditional airlines are relaxing their policies to better accommodate our pets.

But as pet travel rises, so do safety concerns — and somehow, there has never been a set of global standards on pet air travel safety. But that could soon be changing. Colombia is asking the United Nation’s aviation agency to create guidelines for transporting pets across borders by plane.

Over two dozen countries in Latin America and Europe support Colombia’s proposal, reported Reuters. The countries are asking that the UN’s aviation agency establishes international rules for pets on aircrafts, as current laws are inconsistent and can put animals at risk.

The proposal is directed to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency that creates diplomatic and safety guidelines for air travel in 193 different countries. The ICAO sets standards for air navigation, flight inspection, border-crossing procedures, air accident investigations, and many more aspects of air travel — but until now, they’ve never addressed animal safety.

“Colombia is talking about this because in our country there were a few cases that adversely impacted the health of pets,” Mauricio Ramirez Koppel, an ICAO representative from Colombia, told Reuters. “And we found that there is no guide on the part of ICAO that establishes standards and rules for the adequate transport of pets and living beings.”

In one heartbreaking case, in 2021, an American Bulldog died on a flight from Puerto de Asis to Santiago de Cali in Colombia after being stored in the cargo hold. This is not an isolated event — the problem is global. In 2024, a Golden Retriever named Joca died of cardiac arrest after being mistakenly loaded onto an incorrect flight across Brazil — an eight hour flight instead of the intended two-hour journey. Back in 2018, a French Bulldog died on a United Airlines flight after being loaded into an overhead bin — an action that is now illegal in the United States.

While fatal instances like these are rare, they point to growing concerns about proper ventilation, cargo temperatures, and secure containment in aircrafts around the world. And no two countries have the same standards. “There's a legal gap,” Koppel told Reuters.

The ICAO’s triennial assembly will run from September 23 to October 3. Though the ICAO does not technically impose rules on individual countries, member countries usually abide by their guidelines and incorporate them into their own law — which means soon, bringing a pet on board for international travel may be a whole lot safer.