Asiana to Measure International Passengers' Weight at Gimpo Airport for Ten Days Starting Tomorrow

Standard Weight Measurement for Aviation Safety... Refusal Possible

Asiana Airlines announced on the 21st that it will measure the body weight of passengers boarding international flights at Gimpo International Airport for ten days from the 22nd until the end of this month.

The measurements will be conducted at the departure gate scales. The method involves weighing passengers along with the clothes they are wearing and the carry-on luggage they bring on board. Passengers who do not wish to be measured can refuse. The measurements will be collected anonymously and will not be used for any purpose other than calculating the average to obtain the "standard passenger weight." Asiana Airlines plans to combine this measurement data with data collected at international gates of Incheon International Airport from February 6 to March 31 to derive the standard passenger weight.

In August last year, Korean Air measured the standard weight of passengers, including carry-on luggage, at Gimpo Airport's domestic terminal.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The standard passenger weight is measured by airlines at least every five years or as needed, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's "Aircraft Weight and Balance Management Standards." The standard weight is used to distribute the aircraft's weight to maintain balance and enhance flight safety. Additionally, airlines typically carry about 1% more fuel than actually needed for the flight, and knowing the passengers' weight helps reduce the amount of extra fuel consumed.

The criteria for measuring standard weight vary slightly by airline but are generally divided by domestic/international flights, winter/summer seasons, and adult/child/infant categories. Previously, Asiana Airlines measured the weight of about 5,000 domestic passengers in December last year, while Korean Air and T'way Air measured their standard weights in August and January of last year, respectively.

According to data released by the aviation industry, the standard passenger weight for a domestic airline in the late 2010s for "international adult winter" was approximately 80 kg. The domestic summer standard was 74 kg.