Flying private with pets

On most airline flights into Great Britain, pets travel as cargo. GOV.UK sets out an exception when you are flying on a chartered private plane, so on a charter your dog or cat can usually stay in the cabin with you, subject to the operator's rules.

That makes private charter the gentlest way to travel with a pet. There is no separate drop-off, no hold and no long wait at a cargo shed. But the paperwork is the same as on any other route, and arriving in Great Britain by private jet adds one extra rule: the operator must be approved to carry pets on that route.

For flights within the UK you do not need to use an approved route, according to GOV.UK. A charter from London to Edinburgh, Jersey or Belfast is mostly a question of the operator's own rules. Tell us your pet's breed, weight and crate size when you ask for a quote, so we only offer aircraft where the operator accepts it.

Operators set their own limits on the number and size of pets and where they sit. Some aircraft are not available for pets at all. We confirm this in writing before you book.

To take a dog, cat or ferret from Great Britain to an EU country, GOV.UK sets out these steps:

• Microchip your pet before, or at the same time as, its rabies vaccination.
• Vaccinate against rabies. Your vet needs proof the pet is at least 12 weeks old, and you must wait at least 21 full days after the first vaccination before you travel.
• Get an animal health certificate (AHC) from your vet. It is valid for 10 days for entry into the EU, then 6 months for onward travel within the EU and 6 months for re-entry to Great Britain.
• Get a new certificate for each separate trip.

If you live in England, Scotland or Wales, you cannot use a pet passport to enter the EU, even one issued in an EU country. You must also enter the EU through a travellers' point of entry, and some EU countries require dogs to be treated for tapeworm. Check the rules of your destination early, and give yourself time for the vet appointment.

To bring a dog, cat or ferret into Great Britain, your pet needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination given at least 21 full days before travel, and the right travel document for the country you are coming from. Dogs must be treated for tapeworm no less than 24 hours and no more than 5 days before you arrive.

Pets must arrive by an approved route and with an approved transport company, unless you are travelling within the UK or from Ireland. For private aircraft, that means the charter operator must be on the government's list of approved charter routes, which the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) maintains. London Oxford Airport, for example, says only charter operators authorised by APHA may bring pets in, and that operators apply for a route permit for each route. Oxford lists The Little Jet Company and Elevate Air among the operators approved for pet transport there.

Airports set their own procedures. Oxford asks for clear copies of every page of the pet's documents at least 24 hours before departure for the UK, then checks the documents and the microchip on arrival before the pet leaves the aircraft. Pets that arrive with incomplete documents or an unreadable chip may be flown back to where they came from or held in quarantine.

When you tell us a pet is flying, we check three things before quoting: that the operator accepts pets on that aircraft, that the operator is approved for the route into Great Britain if you are flying in from abroad, and that the arrival airport can carry out the checks. We then tell you what documents the airport needs and when.

Bringing more than five pets, or a pet that travels more than five days before or after you, falls under different rules, so mention it at the start. For costs, start with our private jet price guide or ask us for a private jet charter quote.