Pegasus Airlines, the Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen based low-cost carrier, will carry a cat or small dog in the cabin on most of its routes. The catch is in the details. On international flights the pet must weigh 8 kg or less including its carrier, because Pegasus does not put pets in the hold on international routes at all. Bigger pets can only go in the hold on Turkish domestic flights and flights to North Cyprus. And a handful of countries, including the UK, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are closed to pets on Pegasus entirely.
This guide lays out the full policy, the fees in euros and Turkish lira, the paperwork Pegasus asks for, and how to book, using the airline's own Travelling with Pets page and its special services price table, both checked in November 2026.
Pegasus pet rules at a glance
| Rule | Domestic Turkey | International | North Cyprus (KKTC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animals accepted | Cats, dogs, birds | Cats and dogs | Cats and dogs |
| Cabin (PETC), up to 8 kg with carrier | 750 TRY | 65 EUR | 900 TRY |
| Hold (AVIH), 8 to 15 kg | 850 TRY | Not offered | 1,000 TRY |
| Hold (AVIH), over 15 kg | 950 TRY | Not offered | 1,100 TRY |
| Cabin carrier size | Max 32 x 32 x 50 cm, sturdy, waterproof, ventilated, locked | ||
| Minimum age | 3 months, with rabies vaccination | ||
| How to book | Call centre or travel agent, right after buying the ticket | ||
Which animals Pegasus accepts
Pegasus treats pet carriage as a paid special service. On Turkish domestic flights it accepts cats, dogs and birds. On international flights, including North Cyprus, it accepts only cats and dogs. Rabbits, ferrets, rodents and reptiles are not on either list, so they cannot fly with Pegasus as pets.
Pets must be at least three months old on the day of the flight. Pegasus also requires cats and dogs over three months to have a rabies vaccination renewed every year, and it will not carry an unvaccinated pet. That three month minimum is earlier than many destinations allow for import, so the airline's age limit is rarely the one that stops you.
Banned breeds
Pegasus refuses dogs it considers a risk to flight safety. Its page names the American Pit Bull Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Tosa Inu, Dogo Argentino, American Staffordshire Terrier, Presa Canario, Rottweiler, Dobermann, Mastiff, American Bulldog, Caucasian Shepherd Dog, Neapolitan Mastiff and Chow Chow, "among others". The list applies to the cabin and the hold.
There is one unusual rule worth knowing if you are in Turkey: the Kangal Shepherd Dog, Turkey's national breed, is accepted only up to six months of age. An adult Kangal cannot fly as a pet on Pegasus, so owners moving one usually need a cargo shipper.
Countries where Pegasus will not carry pets
Some countries do not allow pets to enter, leave or transit by the routes Pegasus flies. The airline's page says pets cannot travel on flights to Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and cannot travel to or from Ireland, Saudi Arabia and the UK. For Oman, Pegasus tells you to check with the Omani consulate or customs authority before you book.
If your plan is Istanbul to London with a dog, you need a different route. The UK only accepts pets arriving by air as cargo on approved routes, which our UK pet transport guide explains. For Dubai, the UAE has its own import permit process, covered in our Dubai pet transport guide.
The cabin carrier: 32 x 32 x 50 cm and 8 kg
The cabin service, which Pegasus codes as PETC, allows a carrier no larger than 32 x 32 x 50 cm. The carrier must suit the size of the animal and be waterproof, sturdy, securely locked, well ventilated and resistant to scratches and knocks. The total weight, pet plus carrier, cannot exceed 8 kg.
Pegasus lets more than one animal share a carrier in limited cases: up to two cats, two dogs or two birds, a mother and her young, or two young from the same mother, as long as the total stays within 8 kg. Animals sharing a carrier count as one PETC, and one fee. Pet strollers, the buggy style ones, are treated as baggage and go in the hold.
The 32 cm height is generous compared with many European airlines, but the 32 cm width is narrow. A long, low dog such as a dachshund may fit the length but not the width once it turns around. Check that the pet can lie down comfortably in the carrier before you fly.
The hold: domestic and North Cyprus only
Pets over 8 kg travel in the ventilated hold, coded AVIH, but only on Turkish domestic flights and North Cyprus flights. Pegasus states clearly that pets cannot travel in the hold on international flights. So a 12 kg dog can fly Istanbul to Antalya in the hold, but it cannot fly Istanbul to Berlin on Pegasus at all.
For the hold, Pegasus asks for a sturdy, hygienic carrier that is securely locked and lets the pet stand, turn around and lie down comfortably, and it puts the responsibility for meeting those conditions on the passenger. An IATA-style rigid crate is the safe choice. Our guide to choosing a pet transport crate covers sizing.
Pegasus pet fees
Pegasus publishes its pet fees in its special services price table, split by route type. On domestic flights the cabin fee is 750 TRY, the hold fee is 850 TRY for a pet of 8 to 15 kg and 950 TRY over 15 kg. On international flights the cabin fee is 65 EUR, with no hold option. On North Cyprus flights the cabin fee is 900 TRY and the hold fees are 1,000 TRY and 1,100 TRY. These are per pet and per flight, and Turkish lira prices change often, so check the table on the day you book.
At 65 EUR a flight, a cabin pet on an international Pegasus route costs about the same as on most European low-cost airlines that carry pets. A connection through Istanbul counts as two flights, so it is two fees.
How to book a pet on Pegasus
You cannot simply tick a box on the website. Pegasus says all pet requests, cabin or hold, must go through its call centre or a travel agent, and that you should call immediately after buying your ticket. Pets are accepted only within set limits per flight, and if the limit has been reached your pet will not be accepted, even with a ticket in hand. The call centre numbers on the pet page are 0888 228 12 12, and 0850 399 17 01 for BolBol members. Pegasus warns that no other numbers belong to it.
The safest order is to check availability with the call centre before you pay for the ticket, or to book a fare you can change, then call straight away. Cabin spaces go first on popular summer routes.
Seating and passengers who cannot travel with a pet
Passengers with a cabin pet cannot sit in the emergency exit rows or the front row. Children aged 12 and under who are travelling alone as unaccompanied minors cannot bring a pet in the cabin or in the hold. The carrier stays closed and under the seat in front of you for the flight.
Pegasus also includes a line about nervous pets: for animals that are emotionally sensitive or show challenging behaviour, the passenger is responsible for giving appropriate medication under veterinary supervision. That is not a recommendation to sedate. Most vets advise against sedation for air travel, and the decision belongs to your own vet.
Documents Pegasus asks for
Pegasus puts the responsibility for documents on you and tells you to check the rules of every departure, arrival, transfer and transit country. Its page lists the papers it expects to see: a passport showing vaccination dates and validity, a rabies antibody titration report from a test done at least three months before travel, and an International Health Certificate from the Turkish Provincial Directorate of Agriculture. Pets without the documents are refused at the airport. For North Cyprus, an import licence is needed for non-commercial pets.
That document list is written with departures from Turkey in mind, where a titer test is required for many destinations. If you are flying into Turkey from the EU, your pet's EU passport and rabies vaccination are the main papers (the European Commission pet movement rules set out what the passport covers), but check Turkey's current import rules too. Our guides to the EU pet passport and the rabies titer test explain both.
Connecting through Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen
Most Pegasus itineraries between two non-Turkish cities connect at Sabiha Gokcen. With a cabin pet that is usually simple, because the pet stays with you, but each flight is booked and charged separately for the pet, and each one has its own per-flight limit. Ask the call centre to confirm the pet on both legs before you treat the trip as booked. If the connection crosses into or out of a country on the banned list, the whole trip fails at that leg, so check the final destination as well as the transfer point.
Keep the layover reasonable. A long wait in a carrier is hard on a small dog, and Pegasus does not offer a pet lounge. Our guide to connecting flights with a pet has practical advice on layover length, relief areas and food.
Cabin or hold on a domestic flight
Inside Turkey you have a real choice for a pet just over the limit. A 7 kg dog in a light carrier can ride in the cabin for 750 TRY. If the dog and carrier come to 9 kg, the same dog goes in the hold for 850 TRY. The cabin is usually the calmer option for a small pet because it stays with you, but the hold on a short domestic hop is pressurised and ventilated, and for a dog that hates being cramped in a bag it can be the more comfortable choice. Summer heat on the tarmac in Antalya or Izmir is the bigger risk, so morning or evening flights are kinder. Our comparison of cargo and in-cabin travel sets out the trade-offs.
Options for a bigger dog on an international route
Because Pegasus will not carry a pet in the hold on international flights, a dog over 8 kg needs a different plan for any trip out of Turkey. The usual options are a full-service airline that carries pets as checked baggage or cargo, a specialist pet shipper who books cargo space and handles the export certificate, or a road route for nearby countries. Each one costs more than a cabin fee, so it is worth pricing them early. If the dog is a flat-faced breed, many airlines will refuse it in the hold anyway, which our guide to snub-nosed breeds and flying bans explains.
Flying a pet from Turkey to the US
Pegasus does not fly to the US, so a pet heading to America from Turkey will need a long-haul airline for the last leg. The cabin is usually only possible for small pets, and US entry rules for dogs depend on where the dog has been in the previous six months. The CDC dog import page is the starting point, and our guide to importing a dog into the US walks through the forms.
For a larger dog, the long-haul option is cargo with a full-service airline. Our Turkish Airlines pet guide covers the main carrier from Istanbul.
Before you fly: a short checklist
Confirm the route is not to the UK, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar or the UAE. Weigh the pet in the carrier and make sure it is 8 kg or less for any international flight. Measure the carrier against 32 x 32 x 50 cm. Check the breed list and the three month age rule. Call the Pegasus call centre right after booking to register the pet. Gather the vaccination record, passport and any certificate the destination needs. With those in place, Pegasus is a workable way to move a small pet around Turkey and to much of Europe.