Home / Fly With Your Dog / Italy: Large Dogs in the Cabin
Italy · New rule
Hi, I'm Merlot — a 30-kilogram Golden Retriever and a trained Service Dog who flies in the cabin at my handler's feet. So when headlines started saying “Italy now lets 30 kg dogs fly in the cabin”, a lot of you sent them to me. Some of that headline is true. Some of it gets stretched a long way.
This page sticks to what Italy's aviation authority, ENAC, and ITA Airways have actually published: what the rule is, who it applies to, what it costs and what paperwork you need. If something isn't on an official page, I say so instead of guessing.
Last verified: 20 October 2026. Rules change — always confirm with the airline before booking.
The short version first — then the details, step by step.
Quick answer
Partly. Italy (through ENAC, with formal approval from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport in November 2025) now allows airlines it authorises to carry pet dogs up to 30 kg in the cabin on domestic commercial flights. It is not a blanket right and airlines are not obliged to offer it.
How a rule that used to stop at 8 kg changed, in the order it happened.
Across Europe, the starting point is the EU air-operations rulebook. ENAC's own guidelines explain that under Regulation (EU) 965/2012 (the guidance material to CAT.OP.MPA.160), live animals in an aeroplane cabin are accepted only for pets up to 8 kg and for guide dogs. That's why so many European airlines publish the same 8 kg number — and why a large pet dog has normally gone in the hold.
The same guidelines note that a national authority can authorise alternative means of compliance, to be communicated to EASA. That's the door Italy has used. Separately, trained assistance dogs have their own protection: EU Regulation 1107/2006 lists “carriage of recognised assistance dogs in the cabin, subject to national regulations” among the help airlines must provide (EU Regulation 1107/2006, Annex II).
Here is the official timeline, from ENAC's own announcements:
This is where headlines overreach. The ENAC framework is voluntary — each airline has to apply and be authorised. As of 20 October 2026, the only airline-specific authorisation I could find on ENAC's site is the one for ITA Airways, and the only airline page describing a working service is ITA's own Large Dog On Board page. I could not find an official ENAC authorisation for any other airline, so I'm not listing any. If that changes, the ENAC news page is where it will show up first.
Now the practical part: how ITA Airways' Large Dog On Board service works.
Per ITA Airways' official page, the service is for dogs above the standard cabin limit and up to 30 kg, only on a selection of domestic flights marked as Large Dog flights. At most two dogs fly per Large Dog flight — one weighing more than 10 kg and up to 15 kg, and one weighing more than 15 kg and up to 30 kg. Availability depends on the aircraft type, other animals on board and operating conditions.
On the Airbus A220, A319 and A320, the bigger dog (15–30 kg) gets the window seat in the first row on the left, and the smaller one (10–15 kg) the window seat in the last row on the left, with the owner beside them. The dog doesn't sit on the seat: it lies on a mat provided by ITA on the floor in front of its dedicated seat, wearing a muzzle, collar, leash and a crash-tested harness (CMVSS 213 and FMVSS 213) fastened to the seat belt for the whole flight.
ITA's Large Dog flight list at the time of verification covered specific flights between Rome Fiumicino and Bari, Bologna, Brindisi, Genoa, Lamezia Terme, Reggio Calabria, Trieste and Venice. Check the current list when you plan — it's a flight-by-flight list, not whole routes.
You can't buy this online or through a travel agent, add it in the normal self-service flow, or check in online. It's requested and bought only through ITA's CIAO Contact Center, as early as possible and at least 4 days before departure, and confirmation always depends on availability and checks.
Cost, at time of verification: two passenger tickets (to guarantee the dog's dedicated space) plus a PETX transport fee of €95 paid on board (ITA Airways).
Large Dog On Board is a pet service. Trained assistance dogs are a different thing: ITA says guide dogs and service dogs with official training and recognition travel in the cabin free of charge (ITA pets in the cabin), and on Large Dog flights an assistance dog has priority — with one assistance dog on board only one Large Dog can fly, and with two the service may not be available. Passengers with allergies can contact the CIAO Contact Center to discuss alternatives.
An emotional-support or comfort animal is not a service dog. Under the US DOT rule, for example, emotional support animals are explicitly not service animals (14 CFR Part 382). Please don't present a pet as a service dog: it's dishonest, it can be illegal, and it gets dogs like me treated with suspicion.
From my spot on the floor, here's my honest take: a big dog in the cabin only works if the dog can lie still in a small space for the whole flight, ignore strangers and food, and hold its bladder. Italy now offers a regulated, paid way to try that on short domestic hops — with a muzzle, harness and paperwork. Practise the mat-and-harness routine at home first.
If you're flying into Italy from abroad, Large Dog On Board doesn't help: it's domestic-only. On ITA's other flights the pet-in-cabin limit is 8 kg (12 kg on domestic flights) including the carrier and food, in a carrier up to 55 × 40 × 23 cm, and since 1 December 2025 ITA carries only dogs and cats as pets (ITA pets in the cabin). Entry rules for animals are set by authorities, not airlines, so check the official requirements for your route separately. For the full picture on big dogs everywhere else, see my guide to whether a large dog can fly in the cabin; if you're connecting via Istanbul, see the Turkish Airlines pet policy; and the complete basics are in my Fly With Your Dog guide.
The questions people ask me most about Italy's new rule.
FAQ
Short, factual answers — each one checked against ENAC or ITA Airways on 20 October 2026.
Yes, but only in a narrow way. ENAC guidelines, formally approved by Italy's transport ministry in November 2025, let authorised airlines carry pets up to 30 kg in the cabin on domestic flights. As of 20 October 2026 the authorisation I could verify is ITA Airways' Large Dog On Board service on selected domestic flights.
On the official ENAC and airline pages I checked, ITA Airways is the airline authorised so far, on dedicated domestic Large Dog flights. The ENAC framework is voluntary, so other airlines would each need their own authorisation.
At the time of verification you buy two passenger tickets to guarantee the dog's space, plus a PETX transport fee of 95 euros paid on board. Ticket prices depend on the fare you choose.
No carrier. The dog lies on a mat on the floor in front of its dedicated seat, wearing a muzzle, collar, leash and a crash-tested harness meeting CMVSS 213 and FMVSS 213, fastened to the seat belt for the whole flight.
At most two on each Large Dog flight: one over 10 kg and up to 15 kg, and one over 15 kg and up to 30 kg. If assistance dogs are on board they take priority, which can reduce or remove Large Dog availability.
No. It can only be requested and purchased through ITA's CIAO Contact Center, ideally as early as possible and at least 4 days before departure. Online check-in is not available for these passengers.
A veterinary certificate issued no more than 20 days before the flight covering health, behaviour and weight, the dog's passport or ID, up-to-date vaccinations including rabies, pet liability insurance and the signed Pet Admission Form. The dog must be at least 6 months old and microchipped.
Not as a pet under this rule: Large Dog On Board is domestic only. On ITA's other flights the cabin pet limit is 8 kg including the carrier. Trained assistance dogs follow separate rules and travel in the cabin free of charge on ITA.
Large Dog On Board is a paid pet service, separate from assistance dogs. ITA lets guide dogs and service dogs with official training and recognition fly free in the cabin. A comfort or emotional support animal is not a trained service dog, and presenting a pet as one is dishonest and can be illegal.
Where every fact on this page comes from.
Every rule, weight, fee and date above was checked against these official pages on 20 October 2026. Rules change, so always confirm with the airline before booking.
Disclaimer: this page is general travel information, not legal advice. Airline policies and entry rules change without notice — always confirm the current rules directly with your airline (and the destination country’s official authority) before you book.
One last thing before you close this tab.
Free tool, live now
Italy's new rule is real progress for big dogs — but it's a domestic, paid, ITA-only service for now, with a muzzle, a harness and a stack of paperwork. Check the Large Dog flight list, call CIAO early, and confirm everything with the airline before you book. I'll keep this page updated as more airlines are authorised. I'm @merlotthegoldie on Instagram if you want to see what cabin life looks like from the floor.
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