German airline Lufthansa will soon allow its passengers to travel with falcons, the company has announced.

From late next year, travellers will be able to take their hunting birds onboard in a newly-designed device called the ‘Falcon Master’ tray, which can be fitted with a cage.

The move is set to prove popular with the airline’s Middle East customers, where falconry is hugely popular.

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The 'Falcon Master' enables owners to transport their falcons or other birds in the aircraft sitting on a dedicated bird stand connected to standard seat tracks. It comes with a cage and transparent cover

German airline Lufthansa will soon allow its passengers to travel with falcons, the company has announced

The United Arab Emirates runs wild falcon conservation projects as well as breeding farms and veterinary hospitals for the animals.

For centuries hunting with falcons was a major source of meat in the harsh desert region, and the birds remain a national emblem, found on everything from corporate logos to banknotes.

But with wildlife under pressure, hunting has been restricted, and many affluent Emiratis now travel abroad to locations as far as Morocco, Pakistan and Central Asia.

‘Falconry is very popular in many countries of the Middle East, and the Falcon Master, developed by VIP & Executive Jet Solutions, allows the owner to take their falcons or other birds in the cabin with them,’ said the airline's technology division, Lufthansa Technik.

The United Arab Emirates runs wild falcon conservation projects as well as breeding farms and veterinary hospitals for the animals

The move is set to prove popular with the airline’s Middle East customers, where falconry is hugely popular

The device is now in the design phase, and the certification process would likely take six to nine months before it is ready for use,’ a Lufthansa spokesman said.

The special stand is adjustable in height, width and depth and can be installed on a seat of all of Lufthansa's Airbus, Boeing and other aircraft types.

Falcons are currently permitted on a number of Middle Eastern airlines including Abu Dhabi-based Etihad.

The birds wear hoods and are usually tethered to the passenger's glove to prevent them from flying around the cabin.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad airline says on its website that ‘we accept the carriage of falcons in the main aircraft cabin provided that all the necessary documents have been obtained. We also accept falcons as checked baggage.’

From late next year, travellers will be able to take their hunting birds onboard in a newly-designed device called the ‘Falcon Master’ tray, which can be fitted with a cage

Royal Jordanian also states that ‘falcons may be carried in the cabin’ on many flights, provided they are ‘properly hooded’, adding that ‘a chain or rope must be securely attached to the aircraft seat and the leg of each bird’.

Lufthansa said it had designed the bird-transport devices ‘in close cooperation with falcon experts from the Middle East’.

‘The Falcon Master ensures maximum hygienic protection of the cabin walls, seats and carpets from soiling by the birds,’ Lufthansa said a statement.

The platform can be quickly disassembled in three parts and stowed in lightweight containers which can be transported like a trolley.

The majority of airlines currently allow passengers to travel with domesticated pets such as small cats and dogs in the cabin.

Falcons are currently permitted on a number of Middle Eastern airlines including Abu Dhabi-based Etihad

A handful of airlines including Finnair, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines also allow animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters in the cabin.

Air Europa allows its customers to travel in the cabin with fish, tortoises and some rodents, while other pets accepted as hold luggage.