Entering the UK, private aircraft, with dog - prohibited?
 

Somebody sent me an email telling me that it was no longer possible to bring a dog into the UK on a private plane - I was surprised but have zero experience of transporting pets.

Is that the case?

Thanks, Sam.

Assuming you mean from the EU then as of today pet passport from the EU is still possible but only along approved routes and with approved carriers (UK govt approved routes / carriers).

In the event of a no-deal Brexit next week then all these routes become void and full export / import rules apply... Which for the animal alone take four months to comply with, restrict you to designated points of entry and exit (more restrictive than the above list) and basically means you had to start applying in November for travel next week and if you apply today the earliest you can travel is in July.

I would not be taking a pet pooch across any UK / EU border for a holiday until this mess is sorted out one way or another.

Edit to add: on re-reading your post I'm not sure if by private you mean charter or proper "private" so for clarity it has never been possible for a private aircraft to bring a dog (cat or ferret) into the UK from anywhere other than Ireland / CI or IOM.

And the approved points of entry for non pet-passport are currently :

Biggin Hill
Leeds Bradford International
Heathrow
Gatwick
Luton
Oxford
Manchester

Hm, so all the millionaires flying their pooches between London and St.Tropez on their jet - all illegal?

Are they flying with footballers?

Unless they are on an approved carrier and on an approved route then they are illegal.

Well, it is possible to fly into/out of the UK with a footballer perfectly legally in a private plane - apparently pooches are subject to stricter legislation!

Footballers, whatever one may think of them, tend not to have horrible zoonotic diseases and parasites that can decimate native species or introduce rabies onto an island that has been free of it since 1920.

If you are suggesting there is widespread illegality can I suggest you report it to DEFRA (who will likely do nothing) and the RCVS who will probably write a strongly worded letter of complaint to DEFRA who will likely do nothing.

I'm not suggesting it, I know it.

Indeed I have a mate who flies between London and Rome twice a month with the Boss' wife's dog for a trim. Sometimes the only pax on board has four legs - otherwise the jet is empty.

So, something new learned today, tick!

You can console him or her that it's only 'up to 6 months in jail' for a breach of the regulations...

Of course London and Rome could be made entirely legal as long as they are an approved carrier on an approved route with really quite a lot of paperwork including, should the doggo's owner not be along with them, a specific written declaration from the owner making a human travelling with the animal fully responsible for it (so your mate probably). Oddly dogs aren't considered responsible for themselves by the authorities, though many I've met are far better behaved on aircraft than humans.