Air New Zealand weighs international passengers before flying

Air New Zealand will require passengers to weigh themselves before boarding international flights in a trial aimed at improving fuel efficiency.

The carrier said Monday that over the coming weeks it will ask more than 10,000 customers traveling on its international network to take part in a passenger weight survey before boarding.

Air New Zealand said pilots needed to know the weight and balance of the loaded aircraft before each takeoff.

The move follows a pickup in international travel over the past year or so after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted.

“Now that international flights are back in operation, it’s time for international travelers to get involved,” the airline said in a statement.

The company previously weighed passengers on its domestic flights in 2021.

“We know walking on scale can be daunting. We want to reassure our customers that there is no display visible anywhere,” said Alister James of Air New Zealand in a press release.

“By weight, it will help us fly safely and efficiently every time,” said James.

Air New Zealand said its scanning will take place at the gate lounge entrance for some flights departing from Auckland International Airport between May 29 and July 2.

It’s not the first airline to require passengers to weigh themselves before flying.

Finnair previously started weighing its passengers in 2017, with the aim of updating outdated data on average passenger weights.

That’s because many airlines still use data from the European Aviation Safety Agency dating back to 2009.