SunExpress: flying with a dog

📍 Türkiye🐾 Cabin ≤ 8 kg✓ Verified 8 Aug 2026

★ Possible

Cabin and hold are both open and clearly priced, but the hold program never states an upper weight limit, and no temperature policy exists for a carrier headquartered in one of Europe's hottest summer airports.

MyDogCanFly is not affiliated with SunExpress. The logo is shown for identification only. We do not sell tickets and take no bookings.

⚖️ Where does your dog travel?

Cabin≤ 8 kg

Holdover 8 kg, no published ceiling

Weight includes the carrier or kennel.

🐾 CabinAllowed

8 kg (pet + carrier), ventilated waterproof carrier up to 55 × 40 × 23 cm. No emergency-exit seats. Book by phone via the service centre at least 3 working days before departure — no self-service add-on found.

from €89.99 international / from 599 TL domestic / from €15 Lefkoşa (North Cyprus)

🧳 HoldAllowed, terms underspecified

Priced for animals over 8 kg, but the site never states an upper weight ceiling for hold travel, and never explicitly says "pets over 8 kg must fly in the hold" — that's an inference from the pricing tiers, not a stated rule. Container must circulate air, be waterproof and escape-proof, per IATA Live Animals Regulations.

from €119.99 international / from 850 TL domestic / from €20 Lefkoşa

✈️ CargoVia Lufthansa Cargo / Turkish Cargo

A separate SunExpress Cargo department accepts live animals internationally "only if veterinary facilities are available at both the departure and arrival stations," and domestically it also accepts newly hatched chickens, ornamental fish and frogs. Bookings route through Lufthansa Cargo (international) or Turkish Cargo (domestic), not the passenger booking system — the FAQ's "animals must be accompanied by a passenger" rule applies to the passenger-baggage process, not to this separate cargo/freight service.

Not published (quote via cargo agents)

⚠️ Key restrictions

🐶 Restricted breeds

12 bite-risk breeds, scope unstated

Pitbull Terrier, American Pitbull, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bullterrier, Bullterrier, American Bulldog, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasiliero, Kangal (Karabash), Caucasian Shepherd, Mastiff and Neapolitan Mastiff (plus crossbreeds) are banned "in accordance with international aviation rules" — a bite-risk list, not a brachycephalic one. The page never states whether this applies to cabin, hold, or both.

🌡️ Temperature & hold

Temperature limits: not disclosed

No temperature restriction or seasonal embargo is published anywhere — notable since SunExpress's own headquarters, Antalya, is one of its hottest network airports in summer.

📦 Check your crate size for this airline →

🦮 Assistance dog

❓ Assistance & emotional support dogs

Guide dogs travel free, outside a cage, next to blind/deaf passengers (max 2 per cabin, 48 h notice, muzzle recommended not required). Unusually for 2026 — most airlines dropped this after 2021 — SunExpress also carries "Emotional Dogs" free of charge, in the cabin without a cage, on just a signed letter from a licensed mental-health professional (3 working days' notice). No breed, weight or size limit is stated for either category.

ℹ️ Good to know

🌐 "Emotional Dogs," not "Emotional Support Dogs"The accessible-travel page section heading literally reads "Emotional Dogs" — right below a "Guide Dogs" heading — an awkward, likely unedited translation that's easy to stumble over when searching the page.

🔢 Fleet numbers that don't agree with each otherNot pet-specific, but a sign of how current the site's copy is: the "About" page still describes a 2014 Boeing order with a 2024 delivery target that has already passed, while a separate 2025 press release states a current fleet of 85 aircraft and different, newer order numbers — two official pages, two different pictures of the same fleet.

🗺️ Where SunExpress flies with dogs

Main hubs

Antalya AYT

Destinations — entry rules (16 of 24)

Albania Austria Belgium Czechia Denmark Egypt Estonia France Georgia Germany Hungary Ireland Italy Lebanon Montenegro Netherlands

Flying with a dog on SunExpress: common questions

Can my dog travel in the cabin on SunExpress?

SunExpress — Allowed. 8 kg (pet + carrier), ventilated waterproof carrier up to 55 × 40 × 23 cm. No emergency-exit seats. Book by phone via the service centre at least 3 working days before departure — no self-service add-on found.…

Does SunExpress carry dogs in the hold?

Hold — Allowed, terms underspecified. Priced for animals over 8 kg, but the site never states an upper weight ceiling for hold travel, and never explicitly says "pets over 8 kg must fly in the hold" — that's an inference from the pricing tiers, not a stated rule.…

Does SunExpress suspend dog transport in hot weather?

No temperature restriction or seasonal embargo is published anywhere — notable since SunExpress's own headquarters, Antalya, is one of its hottest network airports in summer.

Are assistance dogs accepted on SunExpress?

SunExpress — Assistance & emotional support dogs. Guide dogs travel free, outside a cage, next to blind/deaf passengers (max 2 per cabin, 48 h notice, muzzle recommended not required). Unusually for 2026 — most airlines dropped this after 2021…

Answers drawn from SunExpress's published conditions, last verified 8 August 2026. Airline conditions are commercial and can change — confirm at booking.

🧭

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📋 Entry requirements — Turkey →

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🛡️ Official source3 official SunExpress sources · last verified 8 August 2026

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