This airline will start weighing passengers along with their luggage

A Finnish airline will voluntarily weigh passengers along with their luggage (Representational image)

Finland’s flagship airline will start weighing passengers along with their checked-in luggage at Helsinki airport. Finnair has said the weighing is voluntary and anonymous.

For three months, the airline will weight passengers at the departure gate at Finland’s Helsinki airport. “We do not ask for the name or booking number,” Satu Mannukka, the airline’s head of ground processes, said in a news release. “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.”

“The weighing is voluntary and anonymous, and the data will only be used to optimize Finnair’s current aircraft balance calculations,” the Finnish airline said.

After three months, the average weight will be calculated from the data gathered by Finnair and checked by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency. This number will then be used for aircraft balance and loading calculations from 2025 to 2030.

In its press release, the airline explained that “each aircraft has a set maximum weight to ensure a safe take-off, and this weight cannot be exceeded.”

This weight includes the weight of the aircraft itself, its fuel, onboard catering, water tanks, checked baggage, cargo and, of course, the passengers.

“The weight of customers and their carry-on baggage is calculated using average weights confirmed by the Civil Aviation Authority,” Finnair explained. “The alternative option is for airlines to either use their own measurements and confirmation of their results by the authority, or use standard weights defined by the European Aviation Safety Authority EASA.”

The move to weigh passengers is part of Finnair’s initiative to update its data.