Although a Brazilian court ordered the child’s sister to take the dog, TAP chose to cancel the flight, considering that the animal transport in the cabin violates the flight operations manual.
A flight from TAP from Rio de Janeiro to Lisbon was canceled this Saturday after the airline refuse to comply with a court order which authorized the boarding of a service dog in the cabin.
The dog, called Teddyit is essential for the assistance of a child with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
According to the lawyer Fernanda Lontrahis client, the autistic girl’s sister, obtained an injunction that guaranteed the right to take the animal on the flight to Portugal.
Despite the court decision, the airline denied the boarding of Teddy in the booth, claiming that the transport of the dog would violate the TAP Air Portugal flight operations manual and would endanger security of the passengers.
“Even after we present all the required documentation, TAP refused to embark on the cabin dog and insisted that it be transported as luggage,” Hayanne, the child’s sister, told.
According to Hayanne, the dog also “has lost five pounds” because it is away from the child, which “It’s bad and stressed“In the face of the impasse, the Federal Police were called and filed a TAP employee for not complying with the court order.
In a statement, TAP claimed that “due to a court order of Brazilian authorities that would violate the flight operations manual” and could compromise on board safety, the company was forced to cancel the flight. The company pointed out that it offered alternatives for the transportation of Teddy, but were not accepted by the animal tutor.
According to the accounts, this cancellation may have cost 500 thousand euros to the airline. In the reimbursement of tickets alone, TAP will spend 393,000 euros and the carrier did not specify whether the plane returned empty to Lisbon, and the costs of accommodation and food for about 300 passengers affected.
TAP also stressed that “the person who needs monitoring of that animal would not make the trip on this flight”, The dog being accompanied only by a passenger who did not depend on the service.
The history of the impasse began on April 8, 2025, when the autistic child’s family was trying to board for Portugal, but TAP barred the service dog. Since then, Teddy has stayed in Brazil.
On May 16, the court ordered Teddy to be transported along with the child’s sister, but TAP opted to Cancel the flight last Saturday.
Although the dog has already been barred in the cabin twice, the sister assured that she will try again board a flight this Monday. However, the judicial authorization expired this Sunday.
