Flying internationally with a large dog: hold, cargo and weight limits

Cabin, hold or cargo by weight

Dog and crate weighed together, from the official pages read on 21 October 2026 (Air Canada and Air Transat re-read on 30 October, Air France read on 19 October).

Why the cabin is out

Airlines that accept pets in the cabin cap the weight at 8 kg including the bag, in a soft carrier that fits under the seat: 46 × 28 × 24 cm at most on Air France. IATA puts it plainly: only small dogs and cats can go in the cabin, and some airlines do not allow them there at all. A 25 kg dog therefore has two options, the hold on your flight or cargo, and the choice between them is only partly yours. The three modes are compared in flying with a dog: cabin, hold or cargo.

The hold: what each airline accepts

In the hold, your dog is checked in at the counter on your ticket and travels in a rigid crate in a ventilated, heated compartment of the same aircraft as you. Each airline sets a maximum weight including the crate, and sometimes a maximum size:

• Air France (as of 19 October 2026): dogs from 8 to 75 kg must travel in the hold, in a hard-shell crate of rigid plastic or fibreglass, fastened with bolts and meeting IATA requirements. Up to three animals per passenger, a number that may be lower depending on the aircraft; booking at least 24 hours before departure; minimum connections of 4 h 30 at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and 3 h at Orly.
• KLM (as of 21 October 2026): up to 75 kg including the crate and a crate no larger than 122 × 81 × 89 cm, three animals per passenger; no hold on the Boeing 787-9 and 787-10 or the Airbus A321neo, and no hold if the connection exceeds 3 hours, in which case the animal goes through the cargo department.
• Qatar Airways (as of 21 October 2026): hold on most routes, up to 75 kg and 300 cm in total dimensions; above that, Qatar Airways Cargo. Cargo is compulsory to and from Australia and New Zealand.
• Turkish Airlines (as of 21 October 2026): 50 kg at most and a rigid crate of 75 × 75 × 125 cm; above that, Turkish Cargo. No animals on flights to the United Kingdom.
• Air Canada (re-read 30 October 2026): 45 kg for dog and crate together and 292 cm in linear dimensions (length + width + height); above that, the airline refers you to Air Canada Cargo. Not always possible when summer temperatures exceed 29.5 °C; embargoes on certain dates and destinations, and no pets in the hold during the peak winter period.
• Air Transat (re-read 30 October 2026): 45 kg at most including the carrier, at check-in.
• Lufthansa and SWISS (as of 21 October 2026): the hold above 8 kg, with no maximum weight published on the pages read; Lufthansa reserves the right to refuse the hold in extreme weather at the destination, sometimes for a whole season.
• Singapore Airlines (as of 21 October 2026): 32 kg including the crate, on your flight; above that, through a cargo agent.
• Delta, United and American Airlines (as of 19 October 2026): the hold or cargo is kept for specific cases (US military and diplomatic staff on assignment). A large dog therefore does not fly with you on these airlines; American Airlines directs it to its cargo service.

The full comparison, with cabin rules and refused breeds, is on our airline pet policies page. For a dog over 45 kg, choosing the airline comes before choosing the date.

When cargo is unavoidable

Beyond the weight limits, three situations send a large dog to cargo:

• The destination. By air, a dog enters Great Britain as cargo, except on a private charter or as an assistance dog (GOV.UK). As of 19 October 2026, Air France accepts cargo only to the United Kingdom, Dubai and Abu Dhabi; Emirates requires cargo for any journey ending in Dubai. Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and French Polynesia require manifested cargo. See France ⇄ UK, France ⇄ UAE and France ⇄ Australia.
• The airline. If the operating airline has no hold option for animals, or none for your connection, the dog goes as cargo, sometimes on the same aircraft as you.
• A flight without you. A staggered move, an owner who has already left: the dog travels as a shipment in its own right. To stay within the non-commercial rules on entering the EU, it must move within five days before or after you, under the responsibility of a person you have authorised in writing.

Cargo does not make the movement commercial, and it is not booked like a bag: several airlines, Air France KLM Martinair Cargo among them, accept live animals only through a freight forwarder. How a shipment works from start to finish is on our pet air cargo page.

A large dog's crate: the IATA rules

In the hold and as cargo, the crate follows Container Requirement 1 of IATA's Live Animals Regulations (edition 52, January 2026), which airlines adopt and sometimes tighten. For a large dog, five points matter more than the rest:

• Space. "Each animal in the container must have enough space to stand, to sit erect, to lie in a natural position and to turn about normally while standing." The crate length is worked out from the dog: nose to the base of the tail, plus half the height from the floor to the elbow. The method, measurement by measurement, is in our IATA crate size guide.
• Structure. Solid side walls, a two-part crate securely bolted together (IATA recommends a bolt in every hole, and Air France requires bolts), door locking pins that engage by at least 1.6 cm, metal hinges and pins on a plastic door. Plastic clips alone are not enough.
• Ventilation. At least 16 % of the total surface of the four sides, on all four sides, in the upper two-thirds of the side and back walls.
• Water and labels. A water container fixed inside and refillable from outside without opening the door; the green "Live Animals" label and "This Way Up" labels on two opposite sides.
• One dog per crate. Above 14 kg, IATA requires a crate per animal: two large dogs travel in two crates, with two bookings.

For the biggest dogs, the crate must also fit the hold of the aircraft operating the flight: Air France warns that the number of animals admitted may be limited by aircraft type, KLM excludes some aircraft altogether, Air Canada caps dimensions at 292 cm. For a dog over 45 kg, we advise getting written confirmation from the airline, before buying the crate, that it fits the intended flight, out and back. What airlines add to the IATA rules is on airline pet crates.

Heat, season and breed

A large dog copes with the flight itself; heat on the ground and waiting on the apron are harder. IATA advises against transporting snub-nosed breeds (boxers, pugs, bulldogs, Pekinese) in the hot season; Air Canada warns that it may not be possible to accommodate a pet above 29.5 °C and applies embargoes on certain dates; Lufthansa may refuse the hold in extreme weather; Qatar Airways restricts certain breeds above 21 °C.

The hardest case is the large snub-nosed breed: boxer, Dogue de Bordeaux, mastiff and cane corso are on Air France's list of snub-nosed animals, banned from the hold on its flights. Too heavy for the cabin and refused in the hold, they are left with cargo, where an airline accepts their breed: Air France allows it for the boxer but no longer for the pug, the bulldog or the Boston terrier since 15 July 2019. Some routes are then simply not feasible by air, and we would rather say so before any money is spent. See flying with a flat-faced dog or cat.

Preparing a large dog for the flight

• The crate, weeks ahead. We advise buying the crate early and leaving it open at home, then letting the dog eat and sleep in it: a dog that knows its crate travels more calmly. This is advice, not a rule.
• Food and water. IATA recommends reducing food the day before departure, giving enough water and serving a light meal two hours before handing the animal to the airline; the IATA rules add that animals do not normally need extra feeding in the 12 hours after dispatch, but water must be available.
• No sedatives. IATA does not recommend tranquillising dogs and cats: most of these drugs lower blood pressure, an effect altitude makes worse. A sedative is given only on your vet's decision, and it must then be recorded with the name of the drug, the time and the route of administration.
• The day before and the day itself. IATA advises reconfirming the booking at least 48 hours before departure. Preparation advice, from the last meal to letting the dog out of the crate, is in preparing your pet for a long-haul flight.

A cargo day, from the owner's side

1. The booking several weeks ahead

   The forwarder books the shipment with the airline's cargo department once the health file is far enough along to fix the earliest departure date.

2. The air waybill

   The shipment travels under an air waybill (AWB), which names the shipper and the consignee and carries the number used to track the animal and collect it.

3. Drop-off at the cargo terminal on the day

   You or a partner deliver the dog to the cargo terminal at the time the airline sets. It checks the crate, the animal and the documents before accepting the shipment; a non-compliant crate can be refused.

4. Arrival

   After documentary, identity and, depending on the country, veterinary checks, the dog is handed to the consignee named on the air waybill or to their agent. IATA points out that the cargo facility must be open for collection: a weekday arrival is preferable.

What drives the price for a large dog

In the hold, Air France charges a flat fee per crate and per journey that depends on the geographic zone. As cargo, the price rests on the chargeable weight: the greater of the actual weight (dog plus crate) and a weight computed from the crate's volume, using a factor specific to each airline. A large dog's crate is bulky; it is often the crate, more than the dog, that sets the price. Add the crate itself, the forwarder's fees, handling and clearance at departure and arrival, and the destination's official charges.

We publish no figures: they depend on the airline, the route and the season, and they change. The cost components are set out in international pet relocation costs explained and the way we present a quote on pricing and quotes. What we organise for a dog leaving France is on moving a dog abroad from France.

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