The two key airlines flying Brachycephalic (snub nosed) dogs such as bulldogs from the UK/Europe to NZ/Australia were Qantas and Emirates. Emirates recently banned them as there is a fractionally higher risk due to the respiratory issues which some snub nosed dogs have.

Qantas takes the more sensible approach of requiring a Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) test which can identify if the dogs have respiratory problems which place them at higher risk when flying.

Qantas will not start flying to London again for a number of months, possibly not until 2022, so the ban by Emirates means that many Kiwis and Aussies are trapped in the UK and Europe because we don't want to leave our dogs behind.

We believe that a blanket ban is unfair and unnecessary when there is a recognised test. It penalises responsible dog owners with healthy pets because of the actions of unscrupulous breeders who have breed unhealthy dogs.

We are asking Emirates to reverse this policy change, and are also calling on other airlines including Air New Zealand to reconsider their bans.