Transporting animals

What are the conditions for travelling with an animal?

• Your animal must have all required vaccines in order to be permitted on board.
• From 3 July 2011, any dog or cat travelling within the European Union must be identified by an electronic chip.It must also possess a European passport. Provided and completed by an authorised veterinarian, the passport identifies your pet and certifies that it has been properly vaccinated.
• For travel outside the European Union, check the applicable regulations in the originating and destination countries (vaccinations, quarantine, etc.).
• Several animals per container are allowed if they are the same breed and if the container complies with the authorised weight and dimensions (115 cm).

Please note: for travel to Ireland, Sweden, the United Kingdom or Malta, additional sanitary conditions apply. We recommend that you check with the embassy of your destination country.

Preparing your animal for the journey

• You are advised to get your pet accustomed to its cage or carrier 5 days before the flight.
• Preferably do not give your pet anything to eat or drink in the 4 hours preceding departure.
• Do not administer sedatives as the pet’s temperature may fall during the flight (it would take longer to get used to its new environment ).
• On the advice of a vet, administer medication to prevent travel sickness or any inopportune reaction during the flight.

The procedure for registering pets can take some time.You are advised to arrive at the airport at least 1 hour 30 minutes before departure.

Assistance animals

Air Corsica transports your assistance animal (guide dog only) at no extra charge, if the animal is travelling with the passenger. Emotional support animal are not longer allowed on all our flights.

Transport of animals to and from the United Kingdom

Pets are not allowed to travel (cabin or in hold). Only assistance animals will be accepted in the cabin. Your animal must meet the requirements of the Pet Travel Scheme offered by the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA). It allows cats and dogs to travel between some countries and UK airports avoiding quarantine.

For additional information: https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad  

What are the rules for transporting animals in the cabin?

You can transport a small pet (cat or dog only) in the cabin, provided it is older than eight weeks and in a special closed transportation carrier that is sufficiently well ventilated, the dimensions of which cannot exceed 115 cm, and it must weigh no more than 8 kg (animal and container included). The carrier must enable your animal to stand and turn around. Your animal must under no conditions be allowed to leave its container during the flight. It is considered an additional item of baggage and will incur a fee.

Please note : Transportation carriers are on sale at Air Corsica counters in airports, or in specialised pet shops.

Important : Hard crates for the transportation of animals in the cabin are forbidden on our flights.

Do not forget to declare your animal prior to booking, specifying the animal’s breed and weight.

• Assistance dogs are also accepted in the cabin[21]whatever their weight, free of charge.
• Guide dogs can travel on board the aircraft, at the feet of the visually impaired or hard of hearing person they are assisting, under certain conditions (training certificate for the dog and medical certificate for the passenger).
• Emotional support dogs and animals are accepted in the cabin with a medical certificate that is less than one year old.

Please note: in high-stress situations, snub-nosed animals, such as bulldogs, boxers, Pekingese, or Persian cats, are prone to respiratory problems.Therefore, before attempting to travel by air with your pet, please obtain advice from your vet.

What fares are applicable for transporting animals in the cabin?

The transport of animals in the cabin is not included in the price of your ticket.

You must pay a supplement at the airport, or in advance by contacting Sales Support on 0825 35 35 35 (€0.20 incl. VAT/min), daily from 08:00 to 20:00 and from abroad on 0033 495 209 520 (local communication cost), 7days a week from 8.00AM to 8.00PM.

This will vary according to your destination.

• Flights in metropolitan France: €20
• Flights to or from Paris Orly and Paris CDG: €30
• Flights in Europe: €40

Please note: if your journey includes one or several connections, the fare is calculated according to your departure airport and final destination.

What are the rules for transporting animals in the hold?

A dog or cat weighing more than 8 kg and up to a maximum weight of 75 kg must be transported in the hold. Transporting animals in the hold is limited to 3 animals maximum per passenger.

Above this weight and limit, your animal must be transported as freight (see“Pets transported by freight”).

Do not forget to notify the airline prior to the booking, specifying the breed,weight of the animal and dimensions of the cage.

To travel, your animals must be at least 15 weeks old (eight weeks for flights in metropolitan France).

Before the flight, the captain will be informed of your animal’s presence in the hold and will take all necessary measures to ensure it is comfortable during the flight (lighting, heating, etc.).

Dogs forbidden in the hold but authorised as freight :

• Affenpinscher
• Boston Terrier
• Boxers (all breeds)
• Brussels Griffon
• Bouledogue (all breeds)
• Bull Terrier
• Pug (all breeds)
• Cane Corso
• Chow Chow
• Bordeaux Mastiff
• English Toy Spaniel
• Japanese Spaniel
• King Charles Spaniel
• Lhassa Apso
• Mastiff (all breeds)
• Shar Pei
• Canary Mastiff
• Shar-Peï
• Shih Tzu
• Tibetan Spaniel

Cats forbidden in the hold but authorised as freight :

• Burmese
• Himalayen
• Persian
• Exotic cats with short

Snub-nosed dogs and cats (brachycephalic animals) are not accepted in the hold on Air Corsica flights. They can be transported in the cabin up to a weight of 8 kg (including carrier or cage) or as freight.

How to travel with your animal in the hold ?

It is mandatory that your animal be transported in a “shell” crate made of hard plastic or fibreglass closed with nuts and bolts and it must be IATA (International Air Transport Association) approved.

You can download the form “Conditions for transporting a dog or cat in the hold”. You must fill this out, print it and present it at the airport on the day of departure.

• Padlocks are forbidden for safety reasons.
• Inside the cage, indicate your animal’s name and tattoo number, your name, telephone number and destination address.
• The hold is ventilated, pressurised and heated. Your animal’s cage will be secured in the hold.

Cage models and quotas authorised in the hold:

You can buy a travel cage at our airport sales counters, in large pet shops or from specialist shipment agents.

What to do in the event of connections?

If your journey includes a connection, please ensure you have more than 2 hours between your two flights. You can only register your animal on your first flight. During your connection, you must therefore have the necessary time to collect your baggage and animal, then re-check them in on your continuing flight.

What fares are applicable for transporting animals in the hold?

You must pay a supplement at the airport, or in advance by contacting Sales Support on 0825 35 35 35 (€0.20 incl. VAT/min) daily from 08:00 to 20:00 and from abroad on 0033 495 209 520 (local communication cost), 7days a week from 8.00AM to 8.00PM. This will vary according to your destination.

• Flights in metropolitan France : €20
• Flights to or from Paris : €60
• Flights in Europe : €40

Your pet must be transported as freight with Air Corsica Cargo

• If the animal and its cage weigh more than 75 kg (175lbs).
• If the size of the cage is greater than 292 cm/115 inches (W+L+H).
• If the animal is not travelling on the same flight as you.
• If the animal is travelling to a country whose authorities only authorise the transport of animals as freight
• If you have a snub-nosed pet (brachycephalic animals) whose weight exceeds the limit authorised for transport in the cabin (8 kg, including container).

For such transport, you must contact a specialised freight agent.

Please consult the list of our freight partners on our website.

Category 1 and 2 dogs, as defined by the French Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, are not permitted for transport in the cabin, or as baggage:

• Category 1 dogs: so-called “attack dogs” not belonging to a particular breed but are similar in morphology to the following: Staffordshire terrier  (pit bulls), Mastiff (Boerboels) and Tosas.
• Category 2 dogs: guard or defence dogs. These include the following breeds:American Staffordshire Terriers, Rottweiler, Tosas and dogs that are similar in morphology to the Rottweiler breed.

For more information, please visit the French Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry website.

The Washington Convention

Adopted in 1973, the Washington Convention forbids or restricts the international trade– and therefore the transport – of 5,000 animal species and 28,000 plant species that are endangered or overexploited.International trade is also forbidden for several species (gorillas, elephants, sea turtles, corals, shellfish, plants, etc.), as well as products in any form derived from these species (food products, jewellery, tourist souvenirs, remedies, etc.).For other species, transport is restricted and can only be carried out with authorisation from CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species). The Washington Convention is currently enforced in 175 countries, including France (mainland, overseas departments and territories). Border control in the signatory countries is responsible for enforcing this convention, particularly in the airports. Border control is responsible for enforcing this convention in the airports.