Pets as Checked Baggage

1 General provisions

Limited to domesticated cats and dogs only.

Cats, dogs or cross-breeds that are aggressive in nature, at risk of causing harm to people, prone to breathing difficulties, or snub-nosed are not accepted for carriage, including but not limited to: Terriers (e.g. Schnauzer, Boston Terrier), Boxers, Bulldogs, and Spaniels, mastiffs, pugs, mastiffs, American Staffordshire terriers, American pit bull terriers, English cocker spaniels, English toy spaniels, King Charles spaniels, bullmastiffs, Affenpinschers, Lhasa apsos, Pekingese, Chow Chows, Japanese chins, shar-peis, shih tzus, pit bulls, Japanese mastiffs (including Tosa-Inus), Brazilian mastiffs, Dogo Argentinos, Burmese cats, Himalayan cats, Persian cats, exotic shorthair cats (such as ‘Garfield’), etc.

Cats and dogs that are pregnant, less than 8 weeks old, nursing, have given birth within 7 days or are sick will not be accepted for carriage.

pets carried as checked baggage must be loaded into cargo compartments equipped with an oxygen supply. The cargo compartments on some models of Air China aircraft A319 / A320 / 737-8MAX / ARJ21-700 are not equipped with oxygen supplies and are unable to transport pets.

You will remain fully liable for any pet transported as checked baggage. Air China shall not be held liable for any illness, injury or death of pets during carriage for reasons not related to Air China.

2 Carriage requirements

Should you require your pet to be carried as checked baggage, please ensure that you submit an application when you make your reservation, as pets will only be carried following approval by Air China.

Only one pet may be checked in per passenger.

The weight of each pet shall not exceed 32 kg (including the weight of the pet container and the food and water within).

You must personally check in your pet at the airport no later than 120 minutes before departure on the day of your flight.

When checking in small animals, you must agree to and sign a declaration of exemption from liability on the back of the baggage tag.

Air China does not currently offer an interline pet transportation service with other airlines.

Small animals are not accepted for carriage on Air China wet-leased flights. For information on specific flight routes, please call 95583 to inquire.

3 Transport documents

If you are taking a domestic flight, you must be able to produce a quarantine certificate for your pet issued by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ)

If you are taking an international or regional flight, in addition to producing a quarantine certificate for your pet issued by the AQSIQ, you must also ensure that you satisfy the requirements relating to the transportation of pets for the countries you are entering/exiting or transiting.

4 Quarantine requirements for pets entering China

In accordance with Announcement No. 5 [2019] of the General Administration of Customs of China, “Announcement on Further Regulating the Quarantine Supervision of Pets Brought into China,” Air China would like to remind you of the new quarantine requirements for pets entering the country through airports:

(1) Only dogs or cats (including service dogs for disabled persons) may be brought into the country and only one pet is permitted per person.

(2) For all pets brought into the country, China Customs must be provided with valid quarantine certificates and valid rabies vaccination certificates issued by the official animal quarantine agency of the country or region from which the pet is being exported.

(3) Pets must have electronic chips that conform to ISO 11784 and ISO 11785 international standards. The 15-digit microchip code may only consist of numbers and must be capable of being read by a reader. If the chip does not meet these standards, you should provide your own reader that is capable of reading the implanted chip.

(4) Pets entering the country shall undergo quarantine for 30 days at a quarantine facility designated by China Customs, except for pets exempt from quarantine in the following circumstances:

a. Pets brought into the country from one of the following 19 designated countries or territories: New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Hawaii (United States), Guam (United States), Jamaica, Iceland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Cyprus, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong (China) or Macau (China) that have valid electronic chips and pass on-site quarantine.

b. Pets from non-designated countries or territories (i.e. all countries and territories other than designated countries or territories) that have electronic chips, pass on-site quarantine and for which a rabies antibody test report issued by an approved laboratory can be provided (antibody titer or immune antibody level must be above 0.5 IU/ml).

c. Guide dogs, hearing dogs or search and rescue dogs that have valid electronic chips, pass on-site quarantine and for which the person bringing the pet is able to provide relevant user certificates and professional training certificates.

(5)Pet container requirements Pets that need to be quarantined must enter the country through ports equipped with quarantine facilities. The General Administration of Customs of China publishes a regularly updated list of ports with quarantine facilities on its official website. As of the date when these new regulations come into force, the list of ports with quarantine facilities is as follows: