European airline Finnair has announced that it will weigh passengers before they board their planes.
Earlier this week, the airline announced they would begin weighing passengers. In a statement, spokesperson for the airline Kaisa Tikkanen said: “Measurements began at Helsinki Airport this week on Monday.
“So far, more than 500 volunteer customers have participated in the weigh-ins.”
The airline said that working out the combined weight of a plane including “the weight of fuel, checked baggage and cargo, onboard catering, water tanks, and of course, customers” was part of making journeys safer.
They added that weigh-ins on a larger scale are set to begin later this year, and that they will initially be on a voluntary basis. Furthermore, when the weigh-in occurs a persons’ class of travel, gender, and age will all be taken into account before they step on the scales.
The head of ground processes at Finnair Satu Munnukka reassured passengers that their weight would only be seen by the person operating the scale.
They explained: “Only the customer service agent working at the measuring point can see the total weight, so you can participate in the study with peace of mind.”
This isn’t the first time the weight of a passenger has altered an airline’s flight plan. Last year, an EasyJet flight asked 19 people to get off because the plane was too heavy to fly from Lanzarote to Liverpool.
In a statement released following the incident, an EasyJet spokesperson said: “EasyJet can confirm that 19 passengers on flight EZY3364 from Lanzarote to Liverpool volunteered to travel on a later flight as a result of the aircraft being over the weight limits for the weather conditions.
“This is a routine operational decision in these circumstances and weight restrictions are in place for all airlines for safety reasons.”
Express.co.uk has approached Finnair for comment.
