Air Arabia does not carry pets. Its General Conditions of Carriage say that animals are not accepted in the cabin or in the hold, so a dog, cat, bird or rabbit cannot fly with you on an Air Arabia flight, whatever the fee or the size of the carrier. The one exception is falcons. An accompanying falcon can travel with its owner, in a container and with its food, by prior arrangement and for a charge.
This guide is based on section 11.5 of the Air Arabia General Conditions of Carriage dated December 15, 2025, read in November 2026. It sets out what the rule says, what it means for falcon owners and for passengers with service dogs, and which airlines flying from the UAE and the wider region do take pets.
Air Arabia and the alternatives at a glance
| Airline | Pets in cabin? | Pets in hold or cargo? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Arabia | No (falcons only, by approval) | No | Falcon fee charged, documents required |
| Etihad Airways | Yes, small cats and dogs | Yes | Fee per flight, many routes excluded |
| Emirates | Limited | Cargo | Pets usually move as cargo |
| flydubai | No (falcons with approval) | Cargo via flydubai Cargo | Long banned breed list |
| Saudia | Cats and small birds | Yes, dogs in hold | Direct routes only |
What the Air Arabia rule says
Section 11.5 of the conditions of carriage deals with animals. It states that animals are not accepted for carriage in the cabin or in the hold. It then makes a single exception for accompanying falcons, which may be carried together with their container and food, on top of the passenger's normal baggage allowance, subject to Air Arabia's prior explicit acceptance and the applicable charges. The passenger is responsible for having the falcon's passport, health and vaccination certificates and any permits needed for the journey.
There is no separate pet fee, no weight band and no list of allowed species, because there is nothing else to allow. If you turn up at check-in with a cat or a dog, expect to be refused.
Which Air Arabia flights this covers
Air Arabia operates from several bases: its main hub in Sharjah, plus bases in Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE, and sister operations in Morocco and Egypt. The conditions of carriage are the rules the group publishes for its flights, so plan on the same answer whichever Air Arabia flight you book. If another operator is named on your ticket, read that operator's own rules too, but do not assume a different answer for an Air Arabia-operated flight.
Flying a falcon on Air Arabia
Falconry is a long tradition in the Gulf, and Air Arabia is one of several airlines in the region that make room for it. The key words in the rule are "prior explicit acceptance". You need Air Arabia to approve the falcon before you travel, not at the airport, and you should expect a charge. Book through Air Arabia's contact centre or a sales office rather than online, give the flight numbers, and ask for the approval and the fee in writing.
The falcon must travel with its container and its food. In the Gulf, falcons travel hooded on a perch inside a carrier or in a purpose-built box. Ask the airline how the falcon will be carried on your exact aircraft, and how many falcons it will accept per passenger and per flight.
Falcon paperwork
The conditions of carriage put the paperwork on the passenger. A falcon needs its own falcon passport, health and vaccination certificates, and the permits required by the countries of departure, transit and arrival. Many falcon species are listed under CITES, the international wildlife trade agreement, so a CITES document is often part of the set, and some countries also want an import permit from their agriculture or wildlife authority. Check each country on the route and allow time, because a missing document is a reason for the airline or the border to refuse the bird. Our guide to transporting a bird covers carriers, temperature and handling for birds in general.
Booking a falcon: the steps in order
Start with the documents, not the ticket. Confirm the falcon's passport is valid, check whether each country on the route needs a CITES document or an import permit, and book the vet checks that the health certificates depend on. Then contact Air Arabia with your planned flights and ask for acceptance of the falcon, the charge, the container requirements and how many falcons you may take. Once you have approval in writing, buy the ticket for those exact flights, or add the approval to a booking you already hold. On the day, arrive early, because the falcon and its papers will be checked at the counter, and keep copies of every document with you rather than in checked baggage.
If you have already booked Air Arabia
Many people only check the pet rules after buying a cheap fare. If that is you, you have three realistic options. Keep your own Air Arabia ticket, which is often the cheapest part of the trip, and send the pet separately as cargo with another airline, timed so someone can collect it on arrival. Change your own booking to an airline that carries pets, accepting whatever change or cancellation rules your fare allows. Or leave the pet at home with a sitter for the length of the trip. For a permanent move, the first option is usually the most practical, because the pet's cargo booking and import paperwork drive the dates anyway.
Morocco and Egypt routes
Air Arabia's sister airlines in Morocco and Egypt follow the same group approach, so a pet should not be planned onto those flights either. Both countries have their own import rules for cats and dogs, typically a microchip, a rabies vaccination and a vet health certificate, and arrival as cargo may need a customs agent. Check the destination's current rules with its embassy or agriculture ministry before booking another airline, because they change, and allow several weeks for the paperwork.
Service dogs and guide dogs on Air Arabia
Section 11.5 does not mention guide dogs or service animals. It sets out the general rule, no animals in the cabin or the hold, and the falcon exception, and that is all. We could not find a clause that carves out trained guide or assistance dogs. That does not prove Air Arabia will refuse one, but it means a passenger who relies on a guide dog should not book on the assumption that it will be accepted.
Contact Air Arabia before booking, describe the dog and the flights, and ask for a written answer. If you cannot get one, choose an airline whose published rules accept assistance dogs. Our guide to flying with a service dog explains how the rules usually work and which documents to carry.
Emotional support animals
Emotional support animals are animals under Air Arabia's rule, and animals are not accepted. Most airlines in the region also treat emotional support animals as ordinary pets rather than as service animals, so the alternatives below apply to them too.
Why Air Arabia does not carry pets
Air Arabia is a low-cost airline built around short turnarounds and a single fleet type. Pets add checks at the desk, special handling on the ramp, temperature control in the hold and documents for every border. The heat in the Gulf for much of the year makes hold travel for animals harder still, and many airlines in the region restrict or embargo pets in the hottest months. For a budget model, it is simpler to leave pets out, as Wizz Air and Ryanair do in Europe.
Flying a pet from the UAE with another airline
From the UAE, Etihad is the airline most likely to take a small pet in the cabin. It carries small cats and dogs in the cabin on Etihad-operated flights for a fee per flight, with weight and carrier limits and a long list of routes where pets cannot fly. Our Etihad pet policy guide has the details. Emirates usually moves pets as cargo, which our Emirates pet transport guide explains. flydubai does not take pets in the cabin and moves them through its cargo arm, covered in our flydubai pet policy guide.
For travel to and from Saudi Arabia, Saudia carries cats and small birds in the cabin and dogs in the hold on direct routes, set out in our Saudia pet policy guide. Qatar Airways is another option for long-haul moves, covered in our Qatar Airways pet transport guide.
Cabin, hold or cargo
If you switch airlines, the next choice is how the pet travels. In the cabin is usually best for a small, calm cat or dog, but only some airlines and routes allow it. Larger pets travel in the hold as checked baggage or as cargo booked separately, often through an agent. Each has different rules, costs and risks, and our guide to pet cargo versus in-cabin travel compares them. Whatever you choose, the crate must meet the airline's standard, which in most cases follows the IATA Live Animals Regulations.
Moving to or from Dubai and the wider UAE with a pet
Pets entering the UAE need an import permit from the UAE's environment ministry, a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and, for many origin countries, a rabies blood test, plus a vet health certificate issued shortly before travel. Pets usually have to arrive as cargo or manifested baggage, depending on the airline and the airport. A pet relocation company handles the permit, the booking and the customs clearance at arrival. Our guide to pet transport to Dubai walks through each step.
Flying from the Gulf to the US with a pet
Air Arabia does not fly to the US, so a move to the US needs a long-haul airline anyway. Dogs entering the US must meet the CDC rules, which depend on where the dog has lived for the previous six months and on its age, microchip and vaccination records. Check the CDC dog import page early, and see our guide to importing a dog into the US. For trips the other way, the USDA APHIS pet export page lists each destination's requirements.
Timing and heat
If your pet will travel in the hold or as cargo with another airline, plan around the weather. Summer temperatures across the Gulf are high enough that many airlines restrict animals in the hold for part of the year, or only accept them on night flights. Snub-nosed breeds are at higher risk in heat and are banned from the hold by many carriers. Ask the airline about seasonal limits before you set a moving date. If you can choose, move in the cooler months, book a night or early morning departure, and choose a direct flight so the pet spends less time on hot tarmac between legs. Freeze a water dish the night before so it melts slowly in the crate.
When leaving the pet at home makes sense
Many Air Arabia trips are short city breaks or family visits. For those, a pet sitter or a trusted friend at home is often kinder than a cargo booking, especially for cats. Leave written care notes, your vet's details and a spare key, and book early around Eid and school holidays, when good sitters and boarding kennels in the UAE fill up weeks ahead.
A quick decision guide
If you are flying Air Arabia, your pet cannot come. A falcon can, with prior approval, a fee and full paperwork. A guide dog needs a written answer from the airline before you book. For a small cat or dog from the UAE, look at Etihad. For larger pets and international moves, look at cargo with Emirates, flydubai, Saudia or Qatar Airways, usually through a pet relocation company.