Spanish carrier Iberia Airlines has been fined £142,397 for breaching guidelines that govern the welfare of animals traveling by air after a dozen capybara died after being kept on a flight for 54 hours without water or proper ventilation.
Of the original cargo of 20 animals, only eight survived the flight, which had lasted around 54 hours.
last year, the airline was prosecuted by the City of London Corporation, which operates the UK’s Live Animal Border Inspection Post (BIP) at Heathrow Airport.
“We have a duty to protect the health and welfare of animals that come into the UK via Heathrow. This includes ensuring they are transported in line with International Air Transport Association (IATA) requirements.” said Jeremy Simons, the City of London Corporation’s Chair of the Port Heath & Environmental Services Committee.
This comes after a dog was found to have transported in a container that was smaller than required by international regulations in January this year.
The airline was sentenced at Uxbridge Magistrate’s Court on Thursday October 10. The fine is the largest to be imposed in the UK for such offences.
