Qatar Airways Cargo has become the fourth airline in the world to be accredited by IATA with the CEIV Live Animals certification after six months of intense process and product audits, the airline announced.

The certification applies at its headquarters and the Qatar Aviation Services (QAS) cargo terminal in Doha, and covers household pets, livestock, or exotic animals. These include all animals that the airline is authorised to carry as per each respective relevant procedure.

The Doha-based carrier is considered one of the largest transporters of live animals with around 9 percent of animals transported by air on board a QR Cargo flight.

It runs a state-of-the-art live animal centre at Hamad International Airport, covering 4,200 square metres, which includes dedicated holding areas for animals, horse stalls, pet kennels, access to 24/7 expert animal health care services, and a large 300-sqm paddock.

“The CEIV Live Animals certification depicts that our handling, infrastructure, quality management, and training framework are in line with industry standards,” said Miguel Rodriguez Moreno, senior manager cargo for climate control products.

“It highlights our compliance with the IATA Live Animal Regulations alongside the Transportation of Wildlife and Animal Welfare (TWAW) Group Policy, and it shows that we have a robust supplier management system in place, allowing our principles to be implemented globally.

“Further, it illustrates our commitment to continuously improving industry standards when it comes to the transportation of live animals, and we thank the IATA auditors for their constructive contribution in this regard,” Rodriguez added.