An Air France employee claims that the animal died from a lack of oxygen during the transatlantic flight, which lasted 10 hours, 45 minutes, according to TMZ reports.
The dog, which looked like a husky, was found dead at Los Angeles International Airport Tuesday afternoon, where its "devastated" owner, who is unnamed, picked the animal up at Air France's LAX warehouse, the outlet said, citing airline sources.
"A dog was found dead in the cargo hold of the KL601, after a flight from Amsterdam to Los Angeles on March 19th. The dog's owner has been notified and we express our condolences. In cooperation with the local health authority in the US, the CDC, the dog was initially examined to ensure there was no immediately obvious public health threat. The dog was loaded correctly according KLM's pet policy. We have to wait for the results of the necropsy to determine the cause of death," the statement read.
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This is not the first time such an incident has happened. Last year, a French Bulldog named Kokito died on a three-hour United Airlines flight after a flight attendant ordered the family to place their pet in the plane's overhead compartment.
United Airlines later described Kokito's death as a "tragic incident that should never have occurred." The airline has since launched an investigation into the matter. The US Department of Transportation also announced Wednesday that it was looking into the incident, along with the US Department of Agriculture, which enforces the Animal Welfare Act and investigates alleged animal mistreatment.
