More and more pet owners are choosing to take their furry four-legged family members with them when traveling abroad.

More pets are flying with their Israeli owners more frequently than ever before [illustrative]
– Photo: Reuters

In 2013, about 37,400 pets passed through Ben-Gurion International Airport, marking an upward trend from last year’s 36,500 airborne pets flying into and out of Israel.

“There has been tremendous momentum worldwide in relocation and immigration. The number of animals registered to microchip databases [a requirement for travel in many countries] around the world is increasing from year to year, and as a result, there are more pet owners flying abroad,” said Dr. Eytan Kreiner, CEO of Israeli pet travel agency Terminal4Pets. “These two trends led to an increase in the number of pets that fly every year,” said Kreiner.

About 19,800 pets were flown from Israel to the various destinations while 17,600 animals were flown into Israel in 2013, for reasons including their owners’ relocation for studies, diplomatic missions and immigration. The airline of choice for Israeli pet owners was El Al, with Royal Jordanian, Iberia and Turkish Airlines at the bottom of the list due to high costs for the services provided.

Germany has become one of the most popular destinations for Israeli pets (and their owners), and new regulations set to be implemented in February 2014 will allow pets to be flown directly from Israel to Australia and New Zealand for the first time in two years, after Israel’s rabies rating was improved. The change is expected to make the land down under a more desirable destination for pet owners.

Still, North America remains the primary destination for 56 percent of traveling Israeli pets, and Africa the least popular at only 2%.

Of animals flown to and from Israel in 2013, 49% were dogs, 45% were cats and 6% were fish, birds and rodents.

View original Israel Hayom publication at: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=14027