Southwind Airlines pet policy: flying with a dog or cat

✓ Rules checked: January 16, 2026Source: the airline's website2S

Southwind Airlines carries dogs and cats in the cabin up to 8 kg. The pet's place is booked in advance — at least 72 h before departure.

Snub-nosed breeds are not accepted in the hold. A separate breed ban applies to 10 breeds. Direct flights reach 3 countries, but flying there and taking a pet are different questions: the destination country has its own entry rules.

Cabin Allowed

8kg including the carrier

Carrier: 20 × 40 × 55 cm
Booking: at least 72 h before departure

The carrier's rule+

Official page southwindairlines.com/en/baggage/animals (accessible only via a Wayback Machine snapshot dated 2026-01-16, since the live site would not load during this check — timed out on both Playwright and curl/WebFetch, so the archive was used as a last resort per methodology): dogs, cats and birds are allowed in the cabin.
Combined pet + carrier weight must not exceed 8 kg, carrier max 55x40x20 cm, must be leak-proof, sturdy, lockable, ventilated.
One carrier per passenger; two animals of the same species used to living together (2 cats/2 dogs/2 birds) may share one carrier under a single fee, provided combined weight and size limits are not exceeded.
No specific price figure is stated on the page ('subject to an additional fee') — fee_estimate left null rather than guessed.
Minimum pet age is 3 months on the flight date (pregnant animals not accepted); for flights to EU destinations from 'unlisted third countries' (including from Turkey) minimum age is 7 months.
Rabies vaccination is required annually, valid from 21 days to 1 year before the flight date.
The pet transport request must be submitted no later than 3 days (72 hours) before the flight date by email to crm@southwindairlines.com or via the call center — this is the advance notice lead time, recorded in advance_notice_hours.
Unaccompanied passengers aged 12 and under cannot travel with a pet; passengers with a cabin pet cannot sit in the emergency exit row or front row.
The page contains an internal contradiction in the AVIH-threshold wording ('Pets with a combined weight of 0-8 kg... are considered as AVIH' — apparently a typo, judging by the paragraph above it should read 'more than 8kg'), but the final hold policy is stated in plain text at the end of the page (see cargo).

Hold Not allowed

The carrier's rule+

The final direct statement at the end of the page: 'Southwind Airlines does not provide AVIH (live animal in hold) transportation on our flights' — the checked-baggage/cargo hold option for pets is not offered at all, despite the page inconsistently mentioning AVIH weight thresholds earlier (see cabin.notes).
Heavier/larger animals that don't fit the cabin requirements must be shipped as true air cargo through a separate process — details not found on T0.

Flying Southwind Airlines?

A personal plan combines the airline's rules with the destination's

Before you buy a ticket

The conditions that send people back to the ticket desk: closed destinations, breeds, heat limits and how early the pet must be booked.

Countries with no petsNone

Snub-nosed breedsnot accepted in the hold+

Direct quote: 'The following dangerous breeds and crosses are prohibited on Southwind flights: American Pit Bull Terrier; American Staffordshire-Terrier; Pitbull Terrier; American Bully; Staffordshire Bull Terrier; Japanese Tosa; Dogo Argentino; Doberman; Pincher Doberman; Rottweiler; Tropical region animals; Fila Brasileiro.' 'Doberman' and 'Pincher Doberman' are the same breed (Dobermann), not duplicated in the list. 'Tropical region animals' is not a specific breed but a vague, undefined category; not entered, to avoid inventing a breed_id. Separately (not a Southwind ban but a Turkish-law restriction): breeds/animals endemic to Turkey — Sivas Kangal, Ankara Cat, Van Cat — are prohibited from export without special approval of the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture; this is a country export restriction, not an airline breed policy, so it is not entered in banned_breeds. brachycephalic_cargo_banned=true is a trivial consequence of the checked-hold option not being offered at all (see cargo.allowed=false).

Banned breeds10 breeds+

american_pit_bull_terrier
american_staffordshire_terrier
pit_bull_terrier
american_bully
staffordshire_bull_terrier
tosa_inu
dogo_argentino
doberman_pinscher
rottweiler
fila_brasileiro

Heat embargoNot stated in the rules

Species acceptedDogs, cats

Booking notice72 h before departure

Where it flies — and whether pets can come along

Southwind Airlines flies direct to 3 countries according to the schedules. Flying there is not the same as taking a pet: the destination country has its own entry rules, and the carrier itself closes some routes to animals.

Country	Cities	Cabin	Hold
🇷🇺 Russia	17	✓	no pets
🇹🇷 Turkey	3	✓	no pets
🇷🇴 Romania	1	✓	no pets

The destinations with the most cities are shown; countries where pets are not carried are always shown. A country's entry requirements are on its own guide.

Sources

Every number above comes from the carrier's official page. Check it before buying: airlines change the rules without notice.

Airline's page ↗ Rules checked: January 16, 2026

Quotes from the rules: 2+

The cage size should not exceed 55X40X20 cm. When weighed together with the pet cage, it should have a maximum weight of 8 kg.
Cabin weight

The cage size should not exceed 55X40X20 cm. When weighed together with the pet cage, it should have a maximum weight of 8 kg.
Carrier size

FAQ

Can I fly with a dog in the cabin on Southwind Airlines?+

Yes, up to 8 kg including the carrier.

Are snub-nosed breeds accepted?+

Not in the hold.

How far ahead must I book the pet?+

At least 72 hours before departure.

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