Pet dog dies in cargo hold of Air France-KLM plane after getting suffocated during non-stop 11-hour flight
A dog who was on board an Air France-KLM flight from Amsterdam to Los Angeles has reportedly died after being deprived of oxygen.
The canine, who is said to have resembled a husky, was found dead on Tuesday afternoon inside the plane's cargo hold, according to a report by TMZ on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources within the airline, Daily Mail reports.
The tabloid website learned from an Air France worker that the pet had not been loaded onto the aircraft appropriately and eventually lost all oxygen during the 10 hours and 45 minutes long non-stop flight.
The animal's owner went to a warehouse at LAX Airport to collect her pet after KLM Flight 601 landed in Los Angeles at 12.35am, only to discover her beloved pet's lifeless body. Having said that, Air France-KLM is yet to respond to requests for comment.
Passengers are allowed to keep a dog or cat in the cabin only if it is at least 10 weeks old, weighs no more than 17lbs, and has had all the required shots, according to Air France's policy pertaining to the transposition of animals. However, one is not allowed to keep their pets in the cabin if they are flying business class on intercontinental flights, irrespective of their size.
That said, all the animals weighing between 17lbs and 165.3lbs are required to travel in the cargo hold, where they are confined within hard plastic or fiberglass containers "fastened by bolts", as approved the by the International Air Transport Association. The animal must be able to stand up without touching the roof or the container and must be able to turn around and lay down inside the container, IATA requirements further dictate.
In recent years, there have been numerous incidents of pets dying on board, sparking a major backlash from animal rights activists. One of the biggest cases last year saw a French bulldog pup lose its life aboard a domestic United Airlines flight after its owner was forced to lock up the dog in the overhead cabin. In April 2017, United Airlines suffered another blow when Simon, a giant rabbit, died while traveling in the cargo hold of a flight between Chicago and London.
