Jet Airways has assured People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India in writing that it does not and will not transport animals destined for laboratory experiments, a PETA official said Friday.
In a reply to PETA's letter inquiring about Jet Airways' policy regarding shipments of animals to laboratories, Mohammad Ali El Ariss, Jet Airways' vice president of cargo, stated: "We refuse to carry live animals for laboratory experiments."
"Jet Airways is now among the enlightened airlines that refuse to transport dogs, cats and other animals to laboratories, where they would suffer and die," said PETA India Science Policy Adviser Dr. Chaitanya Koduri.
"Jet Airways has set an example for the dwindling number of airlines, including Air India, that still profit from animal suffering," he added.
According to PETA, several major airlines have full or partial policies against transporting animals for experimentation.
However, PETA said that one of the exceptions is Air India which, despite repeated assurances to PETA that it would not transport animals for use in experiments, continues to profit from the cruel trade of shipping animals to laboratories.
"Every year, experimentation facilities across India squander valuable time and resources as well as millions of rupees by conducting experiments on monkeys, dogs, rabbits, rats, mice and other animals, even though animal experiments often do not reliably predict specific consequences for human health," another PETA official said.