by Maximiliano Crocamo
Italy has updated its air travel regulations to allow large and medium-sized dogs to fly in the cabin, Italian Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini announced last week.
Under the new guidelines, approved by the transport ministry and the country’s civil aviation authority, ENAC, the maximum weight for dogs traveling in the cabin has been increased from 25 kilograms to 30 kilograms. The rules also allow up to six dogs per flight, an increase from the previous limit of two. The policy applies only to domestic flights.
In a post on X, Salvini described the changes as part of a broader effort to promote “a more modern and animal-friendly Italy,” calling for additional dog-friendly spaces such as beaches, trains, and planes.
Although the updated rules have not yet appeared on ENAC’s website, this is not the first time Salvini has announced travel policy changes before official publication. Last September, at the Sole 24 Ore Pet Forum, he unveiled the first experimental flight in which dogs traveled without carriers, a service that commenced weeks later.
On that flight from Milan to Rome, a mixed-breed dog named Honey and a Labrador named Moka became the first large dogs in Italy to fly in the cabin. Salvini, who accompanied the animals on board, described the flight as a “game changer for millions of passengers.”
The current updates follow earlier revisions in which large dogs were allowed to fly in the cabin rather than being confined to the cargo hold. Airlines had previously maintained a patchwork of policies: many low-cost carriers permitted only guide dogs in the cabin. Last May, ITA Airways, Italy’s flag carrier, raised its cabin weight limit for pets from 8 kilograms to 10 kilograms on domestic flights.
The new guidelines are intended to make air travel more accessible for larger dogs that previously would have been excluded under weight restrictions. ENAC and ITA Airways officials have indicated that passengers with allergies or other sensitivities will still be accommodated through designated “pet-free” and “pet-friendly” areas on the aircraft.
While airlines must comply with the updated regulations, they retain discretion over fares and other conditions for transporting pets in the hold, according to Corriere della Sera.
