Here's what nobody tells you about Nepal Airlines cargo: brachycephalic breeds are banned outright, no case-by-case exceptions. Mochi's flat little face means she'd be excluded from that cargo hold automatically, full stop — not a 'maybe if the vet signs off' situation. If you're flying a snub-nosed breed to Nepal, this one rule reroutes the entire plan before you've even looked at crate sizes.

Nepal Airlines's pet policy splits into cabin and cargo. This page summarizes the weight limits, fees, brachycephalic-breed restrictions, and carrier specifications for both modes — sourced from the airline's official pet pages.

How Nepal Airlines handles your pet

Key points

  • Pets travel as cargo: Nepal Airlines carries dogs and cats in the hold, booked through its Cargo International office at Kathmandu, not as a cabin booking
  • Aircraft restriction: live animals are accepted only on the Airbus A330, so the pet can only travel on a route and date flown by that aircraft
  • Minimum age: no animal younger than 8 weeks is accepted
  • Snub-nosed breeds: brachycephalic dogs and cats — bulldogs, pugs, boxers and Persian cats among them — are restricted, because of the risk of respiratory distress and heat stroke
  • Documents: a health certificate, an import or export permit and a vaccination record, plus a shipper's certificate and air waybill for the cargo booking
  • Service dogs: not accepted in the cabin, under the carrier's PSM-3.2.6 V3.0
  • Fees: Nepal Airlines did not publish a rate and refers pricing to its Tariffs desk, so we show none

Each fact comes straight from the operator’s published policy. Tap the to read the exact wording; the opens the source page.

In the hold / cargo Accepted
Snub-nosed breedsNot accepted

Hold & cargo policy

Cargo: Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-10-04
Cargo: Snub-nosed breeds banned Yesverified 2026-10-09
Cargo: Snub-nosed breeds listBulldogPugBoxerverified 2026-10-09
Cargo: Minimum age8 weeksverified 2026-10-09
Cargo: Advance booking required Yesverified 2026-10-04

Health & documents

Health certificate required Yesverified 2026-10-09

Service & assistance animals

Cabin allowed Noverified 2026-10-09
Nepal Airlines cargo accepts dogs no younger than 8 weeks old. Air travel brings dehydration and temperature-sensitivity risks for younger puppies, which is the reason behind the floor. Check the puppy's exact age against the departure date before booking cargo space — a dog turning 8 weeks the week after the flight does not qualify yet.
Brachycephalic breeds — bulldogs, pugs, boxers, and flat-faced cats like Persians — are banned from Nepal Airlines cargo. The restriction exists because snub-nosed airways carry a higher risk of respiratory distress and heat stroke inside a cargo hold. A banned breed has no override option on this carrier; that route needs a different airline entirely.
Here's what nobody tells you: cargo-specific restrictions rarely match what's listed on an airline's cabin page, and Nepal Airlines' brachycephalic cargo ban is exactly that kind of hidden rule. Mochi stays cabin-only partly because of carriers like this one. Get a personalized plan from Pawgo to see which carriers on your route will actually carry a snub-nosed breed before you commit to tickets.
Get YOUR personalized plan for Nepal Airlines →

Glossary

ISO chip
ISO 11784/11785 — the universal microchip standard.
FAVN
Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization — a rabies serology test required by rabies-free destinations.
Brachycephalic
Snub-nosed breeds (French Bulldogs, Pugs, Persians, Himalayans) with restricted airline acceptance due to heat-stress risk.
AVIH
Animal Vehicle In Hold — IATA's term for cargo pet shipment, with fees that vary by carrier and route.