Istanbul Airport launches ‘Dog Therapy Project’ to ease passengers with flight anxiety

Istanbul Airport (IGA) introduces Türkiye’s first ‘Dog Therapy Project’ to provide pleasant experiences for passengers grappling with flight anxiety

IGA Istanbul Airport implemented the “Therapy Dog Project” for the first time in Türkiye to offer peaceful and enjoyable journey to passengers who experience stress or anxiety about the flight.

Within the scope of the pilot project, specially trained therapy dogs will interact with passengers at the airport and support them with their positive energy.

Providing details about the “Therapy Dog Project,” implemented for the first time in Türkiye, IGA Istanbul Airport Customer Experience Manager Abdulkadir Demirtas said: “We host millions of passengers and guests from many countries of the world at Istanbul Airport. We offer services that meet the expectations and needs of our passengers.”

“We know that flight passengers may have concerns or stress before the flight. Therefore, in the pilot project that we will start first, we aim to reduce the pre-flight stress of our passengers and enable them to have a more enjoyable journey with our therapy dogs. They will work at every point where our passengers are. They will be our guests in many areas, such as the land side, airside and flight gates,” he added.

The team led by IGA Istanbul Airport Veterinarian Volkan Arslan coordinated the project, in which five dogs took part in the first phase, including the training of the dogs.

Speaking about the training process of therapy dogs, Veterinarian Volkan Arslan said: “Therapy dogs are dogs that can communicate socially with all kinds of people, do not show any aggression and whose only purpose is to relax you and make you love yourself.”

Of course, they went through a training process for this. This training process also comprises a certification program.

The dog training center (Dog School) trainer included them in the certification program. “As a result, our dogs who passed this program received ‘Therapy Dog’ certificates and are working with us here,” the Veterinarian said.

Chinese passenger Xi Yuki came to Istanbul Airport to visit his country and said he liked therapy dogs very much. This project is worthwhile; Yuki said: “I love dogs and animals very much. I am thrilled to see them here. I have never seen such an application before.”

There are four pet rooms for traveling little friends at IGA Istanbul Airport. One in the check-in island area on the departures floor, two after passport control and one on the arrivals floor. The pet rooms contain products that will meet the basic needs of little friends, such as cat and dog food, sand and other tools for the well-being of animals.

Source: IHA

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