Korean Airlines announced that new passenger weigh stations will be installed at each boarding gate at Seoul’s Gimpo Airport and Incheon Airport in late August – early September.
According to Korean Airlines officials, in the coming weeks, the carrier will be recording the weight of each domestic passenger in Gimpo and international passenger in Incheon plus their carry-on luggage, before they board their flights, to help regulators in Seoul update aircraft weight and balance standards.
All collected data will be forwarded to South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The ministry will then use this data to calculate the average weight of a typical airline passenger, which will be used to draw up regulations on seating arrangements and how much extra fuel a plane should carry.
According to the most recent data from 2021, the average South Korean adult male weighs 74.1kg (163.4lb), while the average female weighs 58.6kg (129lb).
Korean Air staff assured travelers that overweight flyers will not have to pay extra to board the flight, and that all the data collected will be anonymous.
“The data collated anonymously will be utilized for survey purposes and doesn’t mean overweight passengers will need to pay more,” Korean Airlines official said.
Earlier this year, Air New Zealand also asked passengers to step on the scales before boarding their flights. Air NZ officials said that the survey – which was optional – was “essential” to the safe and efficient operation of the aircraft.
Korean Airlines’ weigh stations will operate at Seoul’s Gimpo Airport for domestic passengers from August 28 to September 6, and at Incheon Airport for international passengers from September 8 to September 19.
