Baskadia

Every festive season and summer vacation, the same question fills pet parent groups on Reddit and Instagram: “Can I take my dog on the train?” or “is their any dog food for train and flight travel? “and “Which airline actually lets dogs fly in India?”

The honest answer is that Indian Railways and India’s domestic airlines each have their own, often confusing – pet rules, and they change often enough that a blog post from 2023 is no longer reliable in 2026. What almost nobody talks about is the second half of the problem: even after you’ve sorted out the ticket, tracking, and travel crate, you still have to figure out what your dog eats for the 8, 14, or 30 hours you’re in transit, with no fridge, no stove, and often no idea when your next stop will be.

This guide by Kukky for Wags and Purrs covers both halves properly, the current railway and airline pet rules, and the food logistics that most guides skip entirely.

Option 1: AC First Class or First Class – Full Coupe Booking

You can travel with your dog in the same cabin as you, but only if you book the entire coupe or cabin (the 2-berth coupe or 4-berth cabin) for your own exclusive use. A single confirmed berth in a shared First Class compartment does not qualify, Railways requires the whole space to be booked so other passengers aren’t sharing it with an animal.

• Available on Mail/Express trains and on Rajdhani trains running AC First Class.
  

• Charged at luggage rates for roughly 60 kg per dog, on top of your own fare.
  

• This is by far the more comfortable option: your dog stays with you for the entire journey and you can monitor them directly.
  

Option 2: The Dog Box in the SLR (Brake Van)

If a full coupe isn’t available or affordable, dogs can travel in a dog box located in the SLR — the Second Class Luggage-cum-Brake Van, sometimes just called the guard’s van. These are ventilated, latch-secured spaces meant specifically for animal transport, separate from where you sit.

• Charged at luggage rates for roughly 30 kg per dog.
  

• You travel in your own reserved seat elsewhere on the train and are expected to check on your dog at stops, the guard doesn’t feed or walk your pet for you.
  

• Booking is traditionally done in person at the station’s Parcel Office; IRCTC has been rolling out an online “Dogs/Cats Booking” option under the Trains menu for the coupe route, though the brake-van/parcel booking still generally needs an in-person visit, always confirm the current process at your boarding station before travel day.
  

Documents and Timing

• A veterinary fitness certificate and proof of vaccination (rabies, at minimum) are mandatory.
  

• Arrive at the station at least 1–2 hours before departure to complete paperwork and loading.
  

• One dog is generally linked per PNR – if you’re travelling with two dogs, you’ll typically need two eligible bookings.
  

For the full official framework, Indian Railways’ zonal circulars (such as the one published by Southern Railway) spell out the coupe and dog-box provisions in d

Air India – “Paws on Board”

Air India runs the most structured domestic pet program among Indian carriers, branded Paws on Board, and reports having flown over 7,000 pets in 2024 alone.

• In-cabin: Dogs and cats up to 10 kg including the carrier can fly in Economy. Seating is restricted to aisle seats in the last five rows, with at least five rows separating two pets on the same flight.
  

• Checked baggage: Pets between 10–32 kg travel as checked baggage in a hard IATA-compliant crate (subject to aircraft type).
  

• Cargo: Pets over 32 kg must be booked as cargo.
  

• Fees: Around ₹7,500 per sector for in-cabin domestic travel; roughly ₹16,000 per sector for checked-baggage domestic travel.
  

• Booking window: At least 48 hours before departure, through Air India customer support or an airport counter — not through the regular booking flow.
  

• Documents: Pet passport/vaccination record, a vet-signed health and rabies certificate issued within 7 days of travel, and a completed indemnity form.
  

• Maximum two pets allowed in the cabin per flight; brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds face restrictions in cargo due to breathing risk.
  

Full detail is on Air India’s official pet travel page.

Akasa Air – “Pets on Akasa”

Akasa has quietly become one of the more pet-friendly options on domestic routes since launching its program in November 2022.

• In-cabin: Up to 10 kg including the carrier (raised from 7 kg after customer feedback) — two pets per flight in the cabin, plus one more in the cargo hold, so three pets total per flight.
  

• Age: Cats and dogs must be at least 3 months old.
  

• Booking window: At least 24 hours ahead.
  

• Health certificate: Must be issued within 72 hours of travel and is now valid for 15 days (up from just 3 days), which helps a lot for short return trips.
  

• Perks include a pre-booked window seat, priority boarding, and priority baggage delivery for pet parents.
  

Details are on Akasa Air’s official pet page.

The Documents Every Journey Needs

Whether it’s a train coupe or a flight cabin, the paperwork is broadly similar:

1. Vet health/fitness certificate — usually valid only within a short window (7 days for rail and Air India, 72 hours for Akasa) before travel.
   

2. Rabies vaccination proof — current and not freshly administered (most airlines want it at least 30 days old but within the last 12 months).
   

3. Indemnity form (airlines) — a signed declaration accepting responsibility for your pet during transit.
   

4. AWBI/AQCS clearance — relevant mainly for international legs, via the government’s Animal Quarantine and Certification Service.
   

Keep physical copies, not just phone photos — several pet parents have been delayed at check-in over exactly this.

Where Kukky Fits In

This is precisely the situation Kukky’s retort-packed meals were built around. Each pouch is cooked, vacuum-sealed, and heat-processed the same way long-shelf-life food is preserved without refrigeration, so a pouch that’s been sitting in your bag through a train journey or a flight delay is exactly as safe to serve as one you opened at home.

• Shelf-stable for months without a fridge — no cold chain to manage in an SLR dog box or an aircraft hold.
  

• Sealed and mess-free — nothing to spill in a shared coupe or a cabin aisle, and no odour building up in an enclosed space.
  

• No prep, no heating — tear, pour, and serve, whether that’s on a train berth tray table or a hotel room floor at your destination.
  

• Human-grade, single recipe every time — the same ingredients on every trip, which matters when travel stress already makes some dogs prone to a loose stomach.
  

• Compact and light — pouches pack flat into a carrier’s side pocket or a small travel bag, unlike a container of home-cooked food.
  

If you’re flying, sealed retort pouches also tend to raise fewer questions at airport security than a home-packed tiffin, since they’re commercially packaged and clearly labelled.

You can browse the full range on the Kukky Travel Pack page, and if you’re unsure how many pouches to carry for a specific trip length, the Meal Calculator gives a personalized recommendation based on your dog’s weight in under 30 seconds.

A Simple Packing Rule

Plan for one pouch per meal, and always carry one or two extra beyond what the trip strictly needs, delays are common on both Indian Railways and domestic flights, and an extra sealed pouch weighs almost nothing compared to the stress of a hungry dog at hour twelve of a delayed journey.

If your dog hasn’t tried Kukky before, don’t make travel day the first time, introduce a pouch at home a few days ahead so the flavour is already familiar when routines get disrupted. (Our guide on how much to feed your dog while travelling and our breakdown of wet food vs dry food for travel go deeper into portioning and format choices if you’re still deciding.)

A Realistic Travel-Day Checklist

• Vet health certificate and rabies proof, dated within the required window
  

• Booking confirmed directly with the airline or railway parcel office — not assumed via a third-party OTA
  

• IATA-compliant carrier (flights) or a secure crate (train dog box), sized correctly
  

• Leash, harness, and a familiar blanket or mat
  

• Sealed, shelf-stable meal pouches — one per meal, plus a spare for delays
  

• Water and a collapsible bowl
  

• Printed copies of every document, not just photos on your phone
  

For road-trip legs before or after the train/flight portion, our guide on keeping your dog calm and healthy on road trips covers the rest of the journey.

The Bottom Line

Getting your dog from one Indian city to another isn’t complicated once you know where pets are actually allowed — a first-class coupe or SLR dog box on the train, and Air India or Akasa Air’s cabin programs in the air. The part that trips up most pet parents isn’t the rulebook; it’s what to feed their dog for the hours in between, with no fridge, no kitchen, and no guarantee the journey runs on time.

That’s the exact gap Kukky’s sealed, shelf-stable meals were built to close — pack a few pouches, and mealtime stops being one more thing to plan around. Explore Kukky’s Travel Pack before your next trip, or read more about why Kukky exists if you’d like the full story behind the brand.