Dubai resident Chashmi Aggarwal spent anxious moments before her Emirates flight took off for Delhi on the night of March 12. Dubai had come under Iranian drone attack earlier, and Aggarwal who was travelling with her three year old Maltese dog ‘Nova’ was anxious. What if the airport was attacked? Would Nova be evacuated from the aircraft’s cargo hold was her worry, she says, reflecting back on those fraught days. “Thankfully everything went smoothly,” she says.
Nova was among 292 pets that flew into India from the Gulf region in March, data obtained from Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) under the Right to Information Act shows. This included 181 dogs and 95 cats, the vast majority of whom were transported from the United Arab Emirates. Mumbai and Delhi airports saw the highest import of pets from the Gulf region in March — 106 and 93 respectively. Kolkata saw fewest pet imports — six animals due to limited air connectivity with the Gulf region.
Pet relocations
“Flights were disrupted and tourists were stranded in Dubai when the conflict broke out in February end. We realised that for airlines pet carriage would not be a priority and hence we waited for the situation to improve,” said Ketki Bhosale who travelled with her nine-year-old labrador dog to Mumbai.
“During the height of conflict in March we received around 100 calls daily from pet parents from the Gulf region. Families wanted to travel to India but weren’t sure whether they would be able to carry their pets. Flight schedules were also changing frequently due to airspace closures,” said Anand Vishwanath, managing partner of relocation service provider Furry Flyers.
“We helped around 15 families from the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar to travel with their pets. There was a sense of panic among pet parents in March but the situation is stable now,” added Varun Nandwani of K L Bhrara & Co, a pet relocation service firm.
Infact some of these pet parents have returned to Dubai and other Gulf countries with their furry friends.
Relaxed norms
Government norms require a pet to be vaccinated (30 days prior to travel), microchipped and checked by a doctor before its import. A certificate from the local government department is also mandatory for obtaining a no-objection certificate from the Indian government.
On March 12, the department of animal husbandry and dairying issued an office memorandum relaxing some of these pet import requirements for Indians stranded in the Gulf region — a one-time relaxation.
Yet many of the families who travelled to India were able to fulfill the pet import conditions. “While India had relaxed the pet import requirements, staff at Emirates counter were strict and wanted to ensure that we had completed all the formalities. We had our papers in order and so there was no hassle,” Bhosale added.
Published on May 21, 2026