SHANGHAI, June 14 -- China's Shanghai on Friday welcomed a group of pet owners returning from an overseas trip aboard a special flight that allowed them to travel in the same cabin with their dogs.

The flight carried 60 passengers and 18 dogs from Bangkok, Thailand, to the Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

It marked the conclusion of China's first overseas group tour to charter flights so that people can fly alongside their dogs.

Customs officials at the airport said they had streamlined procedures for the arrival of the pets, including allowing them to skip quarantine periods if they passed on-site checks.

Officials said the flight would blaze a trail for future chartered international flights for pet owners, with demand for such services on the rise thanks to rising pet ownership levels in Chinese cities.

Last month, the Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in south China's Guangdong Province opened a lounge exclusively for pets, becoming the first airport lounge of its kind in China.