The price of reducing the pollution spewed out by aircraft may be for travellers to get weighed prior to boarding.

CNN reports British software company Fuel Matrix as saying that airlines could use the weight data collected to precisely calculate how much fuel is needed for a given flight.

Scales could be built into existing screening technology in use at airports, said Fuel Matrix CEO Roy Fuscone.

“You stand in a scanner that goes round you – now, clearly while you’re standing there being scanned, you could also be being weighed – very discreetly – if you haven’t wanted to supply your information ahead of time,” said Fuscone. “It would be very discreet, very private and very confidential.”

The weight of excess fuel carried onboard contributes to fuel consumption, so improved fuel calculation could help reduce the 3 per cent of total carbon emissions attributed to the aviation industry.

Airlines who made better calculations “could have saved a lot of fuel and a lot of carbon,” said Fuscone.

Recent initiatives to reduce aircraft weight include the removal of print newspapers and magazines, stopping the sale of Duty Free items inflight, and the replacement of seatback screens with wireless streaming.

fuelmatrix.com