This is what Air New Zealand did as part of a study conducted by New Zealand Civil Aviation. It’s almost 10,000 passengers who departed from Auckland and – on a voluntary basis, to elaborate – had to scale the scales before boarding the plane.
Posted at 11:30am.
In a statement, James Alastair, the company’s cargo control specialist, explains that the pilot needs to know the total weight of the aircraft for each flight. “We weigh everything that goes on the plane, from cargo to meals on board to luggage that ends up in the hold. For passengers, crew and hand luggage we use average weights that we determine through this survey. »
This survey will clearly determine if the average weight of a passenger has increased… And in Canada? Don’t worry, you won’t have to step on the scale on your next flight: airlines contact Transport Canada, which maintains the standard passenger weight register. Thus, the average weight of passengers aged 12 and over in summer is 93.4 kg for men (and gender X), 78.1 kg for women, 34 kg for children aged 2 to 11 and 13.6 kg for children under 2 years. In winter we are slightly heavier: 96.2 kg for men and gender X, 80.7 kg for women, while the weights for children and toddlers remain the same.
Transport Canada states, “To ensure the safety of every flight, air carriers must calculate the total weight of the aircraft and how that weight is distributed.” Weight and balance directly affect aircraft stability and performance. If an airplane is too heavy, it may never take off. If it’s unbalanced, it may get out of control in flight. Therefore, pilots and airlines must conduct a weight and balance analysis before takeoff, taking into account passengers, baggage, cargo and fuel.”