Sending Empty Cat & Dog Carriers Back to Cyprus by Pallet

Every flight parent knows the problem: rescue carriers are heavy, bulky, and never seem to make the return trip with you. Airlines charge per kg for empty crates as checked luggage, and squeezing two or three carriers through an airport on your own is no fun for anyone. For Cyprus rescue groups, this constant shortage of crates can quietly slow down the next flight escort.

One option that more flight parents and rescue coordinators are turning to is pallet freight. Instead of carrying crates by hand through check-in, a batch of empty carriers gets strapped onto a single pallet in Europe and delivered straight to a Cyprus address by truck and ferry, usually for a fraction of what airline excess baggage would cost. We’ve used and researched two companies that already specialize in pallet shipments to Cyprus and are worth knowing about.

Road Solution Cyprus

Road Solution Cyprus is a Cyprus-based freight forwarder with daily transports between Europe and the island. They collect by truck from almost anywhere in Europe, and offer smaller van or sprinter pickups for time-sensitive loads, which is useful if you only have a handful of carriers rather than a full pallet’s worth. Shipments travel by road to Greece, with daily departures to Thessaloniki and Athens, then twice-weekly sailings on to Limassol, with customs clearance and paperwork handled as part of the service. They accept pickups from as little as one pallet, track shipment status along the way, and have 12,000m² of warehouse space available if you need to consolidate a load or wait for space on the next sailing. Their team works in both German and English, which is handy if you’re coordinating with rescue contacts across different countries.

Road Solution Cyprus is based at Tsarouka 1, CY-7737 Maroni, and can be reached at office@road-solution-cyprus.com or +357 99 80 88 58. More details are on their site at road-solution-cyprus.com.

Zypern Paletten

Zypern Paletten is a smaller, more individually run service that specializes in collecting household pallets from Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands and delivering them to Cyprus. Because their bread and butter is private household moves rather than commercial freight, they’re a good fit if you’d rather not deal with a large logistics company and just need a few crates added to a pallet alongside other personal items, furniture, or moving boxes. As with any bulky-goods pallet shipment, carriers need to be properly stacked and strapped down with no overhang, the same way furniture is required to travel.

You can find Zypern Paletten’s contact details and request a quote at zypernpaletten.pinball-island.com.

A Few Practical Tips Before You Book

Both companies are set up for general pallet and household goods shipping rather than pet crates specifically, so it’s worth being upfront when you request a quote that you’re sending empty animal carriers. A couple of things that tend to make the process smoother:

Nest smaller carriers inside larger ones where the design allows, since this cuts down on the footprint and the cost per pallet. Make sure everything is securely strapped with no overhang past the edges of the pallet, as both companies will require this for safe handling. If you’re combining carriers with other items being shipped to Cyprus, mention this when requesting your quote so it can be loaded as one consignment. And because Cyprus shipments depend on ferry schedules out of Greece, build in a little buffer time rather than booking right up against your next flight escort.

If you’re a flight parent or rescue volunteer planning a carrier shipment and want a hand thinking through logistics, get in touch with us at FlightParent.com — we’re always glad to compare notes with anyone moving carriers, crates, or rescue animals to and from Cyprus.

We do not know any prices etc. Please contact the companies directly for any quotes you might need.