Summary
- Finnair is weighing volunteers to calculate aircraft balance.
- The identity of the volunteers stays anonymous.
- The goal is to have up-to-date data for airline services, which can be used for protected flight operations.
Finnair is the most recent carrier to announce that it’s going to be weighing passengers ahead of their travels between now and May. The flag carrier of Finland highlights that this move can be used for aircraft balance calculations.
Volunteers only
All passengers weighed can be volunteers, and no personal data can be collected. It’s also not the primary time the airline has launched such an initiative, with several volunteers traveling for each business and leisure coming forward to participate five years ago.
In practice, participants are weighed with their hand luggage for the figure to be recorded. Also they are asked about their travel class, age, and gender. Still, no other information is documented, and the identity of the volunteers stays anonymous.
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Helpful data
All in all, the goal is to have up-to-date information for the airline’s services. Finnair head of ground processes Satu Munnukka notes that the corporate utilizes the weighing data
Photo: Wirestock Creators | Shutterstock
The volunteers’ role will play an integral role throughout the broader spectrum of air travel. As Finnair explains:
“The common weights calculated based on the measurements can be delivered to Traficom – The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency – between July and September 2024, and after confirming the weights, we’ll use them for aircraft balance and loading calculations between 2025–2030,
The weighment area will rotate around a select variety of our flights’ departure gates in Helsinki Airport. The scheme will cover chosen European flights inside Helsinki Airport’s Schengen area and a lot of long-haul flights departing from the non-Schengen side.”
Industry motives
This move is a component of an industry-wide system that uses data to assist calculate requirements. Operators must reassess average passenger weights to amend their onboard weight distribution. Additionally they need to make sure balanced stability during their services and conclude on the quantity of fuel required. It is identical pondering behind weighing baggage within the hold.
Finnair is not the only airline that sees the advantage of weighing passengers. South Korea’s Asiana has been weighing passengers recently. In late 2023, 5,000 domestic passengers were weighed. Last month, the airline also weighed international customers and their carry-ons traveling through Seoul Gimpo Airport.
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This system will run until the top of the month.
There are also specific requirements for certain routes. Notably, Qantas weighs passengers flying through Lord Howe Island as a consequence of the airport’s short runway, as heavier planes need longer runways to generate lift. Weighing passengers is supported by some authorities. For example, the Recent Zealand Civil Aviation Authority holds a ‘weight week’ every five years to know the typical weight of adult fliers to calculate takeoff weights.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
So, what might appear to be an inappropriate campaign for some at first glance is definitely an integral initiative that can help optimize protected flight operations. Finnair can be keen to collect as much data as possible ahead of what’s set to be a busy yr for the Helsinki-based airline.
What are your thoughts about this weighing program? What do you make of the entire process? Tell us what you think that of the carrier’s overall plans within the comment section.