A new era in air transportation… Passengers will be weighed along with their luggage

Scandinavian airline Finnair has announced an unusual practice that will begin towards the end of this year, signaling the start of a new era in air transportation. The ‘passenger weighing’ practice, indicating a new phase in air travel, will initially be voluntary.

Finnair airline announced that it would weigh passengers before boarding their planes. Airline spokesperson Kaisa Tikkanen said, “Measurements began this week on Monday at Helsinki Airport. So far, over 500 voluntary customers have participated in the weighing.”

The airline company stated that calculating the total weight of an aircraft, including fuel, checked baggage and cargo, in-flight catering, water tanks, and of course, the weight of passengers, is part of “making journeys safer.”

Officials added that larger-scale weighing would begin towards the end of this year and initially be based on voluntarism. According to a report on media, passengers’ travel class, gender, and age will also be taken into account before they step onto the scale. Finnair’s ground services manager, also assured that passengers’ weights would be “visible only to the person operating the scale.”

AIM IS TO ENSURE FLIGHT SAFETY

Finnair’s statement also included the following remarks:

“What we are doing is collecting anonymous data on passengers’ average weights, along with their carry-on baggage, for aircraft balance and performance calculations necessary for the safe conduct of flights.”

“Each aircraft has a maximum weight limit set to ensure a safe takeoff, which cannot be exceeded. The weight of the aircraft itself, along with fuel weight, is calculated using average weights approved by the Civil Aviation Authority, as well as checked baggage, cargo, in-flight catering, water tanks, and of course, the weight of passengers…”