A cat lies at the airport pet terminal of the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport on April 14, 2025. Photo: VCG

China's first airport pet terminal is set to go into operation in May at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in South China's Guangdong Province, and it's expected to offer a convenient one-stop travel experience for domestic air passengers traveling with pets. 

The terminal will provide an entire range of services needed for pet air travel, including quarantine, booking and agency services, cargo transport, pet check-in and foster care service for pets, chinanews.com reported on Monday. 

Occupying 2,000 square meters, evenly divided into indoor and outdoor areas, the pet terminal will be located directly opposite Gate 29 of Terminal 1 at the airport. 

Currently, the pet terminal, with a vibrant and adorable design style and a clean and tidy environment, is undergoing internal trial operations and will officially open to the public in May.

The terminal will provide full-process services through pet owners' one-time online bookings. 

Passengers can simply make a reservation through WeChat miniprograms such as "Airport Pass" or "Baiyun pet terminal." 

It is expected that the time required for handling pet flight procedures can be reduced to two days from the original seven days.

Passengers can check in together with their pets at dedicated check-in counters in the pet terminal, and enjoy exclusive pre-boarding services. Pet flight services will be expanded to more domestic and international flights. 

To meet passengers' needs for foster care for their pets, the terminal has a pet hotel that can accommodate 17 to 30 pets at the same time. The design of the themed rooms integrates pet behavioral science, such as the vertical space needed by cats and the social space requirements of dogs. 

The foster care service for pets will be managed in accordance with the standards of "starred hotel services" and offer daily remote interaction videos. 

A passenger surnamed Tang, who was enlisted for the internal trial operation of the service, told the Global Times on Monday that the service will benefit air travelers like her—people who love to travel while keeping a pet. According to Tang, the service will save her the time and hassle of taking her pet cat through quarantine procedures herself and will help reduce stress in pets by allowing them to go through check-in at a designated, separate terminal. She also appreciates the foster care service, which spares her the trouble of bringing the pet along while she travels.

According to a survey conducted by a third-party organization, the proportion of pet owners among air travelers has reached 25 percent, Chinanews.com reported. 

On April 8, the China Railway Group Co launched a pilot pet transport service on selected Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail routes, with a dedicated pet consignment feature added to its online booking platform.