Operations Control CenterLivestock, equine and live animal movements
IATA Live Animals Regulations compliance, CITES and veterinary clearance, air stalls and pens, groom access, ramp welfare in Gulf heat and quarantine transit — supervised from acceptance to release.
Live animals are the one cargo category where a ground delay is not just a cost — it is a welfare event and, increasingly, a regulatory one. The failures are predictable: the crate does not meet the container requirement, the health certificate is in the wrong format for the destination, the inspection post is not booked, or the consignment sits on an open dolly at forty degrees. LFS clears all four before the animals reach the airport.
- Grooms and, on high-value movements, a flying attending veterinarian travel with the consignment and need crew-equivalent ramp access.
- Stalls are built up and the horses loaded airside; the ramp position, loader height and a quiet route from the box to the aircraft all have to be arranged in advance.
- Feed, hay, water and bedding for the sector plus a delay margin, and a documented plan for a diversion or a technical stop.
- Stocking density, headroom and ventilation follow IATA Live Animals Regulations container requirements for the species and weight class.
- Loading windows are usually set around ambient temperature — early morning or night at Gulf stations in summer.
- Effluent management, bedding disposal and aircraft cleaning on arrival are arranged with the handler up front, not after the offload.
- Time-critical from hatch: transit time, not flight time, is the constraint, so the whole ground sequence is planned backwards from the hatchery.
- Continuous airflow on the ramp and no exposure on an open dolly in direct sun.
- Rapid veterinary clearance and immediate onward release at destination.
- CITES import, export and where applicable re-export permits, checked against the crate and the manifest before departure.
- Institution-to-institution transfers usually carry their own welfare protocol; we run the ramp to that protocol.
- Overflight states occasionally require notification for protected species — we identify that at planning, not on the day.
- Common in the Gulf and routinely carried in the cabin, subject to the operator's approval and the state's health documentation.
- CITES documentation applies to most falcon species and the passport must match the bird's ring or microchip.
- We confirm the destination's arrival procedure so the crew is not held on the ramp with live birds on board.
- Crate sizing checked against the animal before the trip, because a rejected crate at the ramp is the most common single delay.
- Import health certificate, rabies titre, microchip and, where required, an import permit obtained ahead of the flight.
- Arrival veterinary inspection and any quarantine arrangement coordinated at destination.
Container requirement, stocking density, ventilation, feeding and watering intervals and marking are checked against the current LAR edition for the exact species before the consignment is accepted.
Export, import and re-export permits for listed species, verified against the crate markings and the air waybill. A mismatch here stops the consignment at the border, not at the ramp.
Origin health certificate, vaccination and test records within validity, and the destination's specific certificate format. We confirm the required format with the destination authority in advance.
Where the destination requires inspection at an approved post, we pre-notify, book the inspection slot and align it with the arrival time so the animals are not held on a dolly.
Import permit applications, quarantine station booking and the ground transport leg from aircraft to quarantine facility, arranged as part of the same file.
Live animals are notifiable to the commander. The NOTOC, loading position, temperature and ventilation requirements and any in-flight attendance arrangement are confirmed with the operator before departure.
- Shaded or air-conditioned holding, never an open dolly in direct sun
- Loading windows shifted to the coolest part of the day at hot stations
- Temperature and ventilation monitored from acceptance to loading
- Fresh water and feed for the sector plus a delay allowance
- Priority loading last and offload first, so ground exposure is minimised
- Grooms and attendants escorted airside with the correct passes
- Veterinary support on call at the station for the duration of the turnaround
- Photographic and timestamped record of condition at acceptance and at loading
- Can LFS handle a horse flight into the Gulf?
- Yes. We arrange the air stalls with the operator, coordinate build-up and airside loading, escort the grooms and attending vet, confirm the import health certificate and permit are correct for the destination, and arrange the quarantine or stable transfer on arrival. Summer movements are usually planned for a night or early morning loading window.
- What documents does a live animal shipment need?
- As a minimum: an origin veterinary health certificate in the destination's required format, vaccination and test records within validity, an import permit where the destination requires one, CITES permits for listed species, and an air waybill marked for live animals. We confirm the exact set with the destination authority before the flight rather than assuming the standard list.
- Do you comply with IATA Live Animals Regulations?
- Every consignment is checked against the current LAR edition for that species — container requirement, density, ventilation, feeding and watering intervals, and marking. Where a crate does not meet the requirement, we say so before the animal is at the airport, which is the only useful time to find out.
- What happens if the flight is delayed with animals already loaded?
- The contingency is agreed before loading: who attends the animals, where they are held, what water and feed is available, and at what point the consignment is offloaded and returned to a holding facility. A ramp agent stays with the consignment for the whole period.
- Can you arrange a veterinarian at the station?
- Yes, at the main Gulf, North African and East African gateways we arrange a veterinarian on call for the turnaround, and a flying attendant where the operator and the consignment value justify it.
- Do you handle cattle and sheep charters?
- Yes, on main-deck freighters with purpose-built pens or livestock containers. These movements need the loading window, the effluent plan and the aircraft cleaning arranged in advance, and the import veterinary clearance confirmed before the aircraft departs origin.