Document type: article published in Air Cargo Week
Author: Edward Hardy
Preview: The 2026 update to International Air Transport Association’s Live Animals Regulations introduces stricter standards for training, documentation, container performance and welfare controls across the live animal airfreight sector, increasing compliance expectations for airlines, handlers and forwarders. New rules place greater emphasis on formal competency-based staff training, tighter pre-acceptance checks, and higher-specification transport containers capable of withstanding complex operational conditions, particularly on long-haul and interline shipments. The revised framework strengthens welfare-focused measures, including closer scrutiny of high-risk breeds, stricter environmental controls and more rigorous journey planning, while also increasing operational costs and reducing cargo flexibility due to higher space requirements and tighter handling standards.
