The company says this is in the interest of safety although the business model of “weigh more, pay more” has already been adopted by one airline in the South Pacific and may be the next logical step for UA.

A statement by the airline announced a decision to install a “special weighing machine” at departure gates, where passengers would be weighed along with their luggage.

“Please be informed that Uzbekistan Airways airline carries out the procedure of preflight weighing for determination of the average weight of passenger with hand baggage”, Uzbekistan Airways officials posted to their website Friday.

It appears that the procedure is strictly for research purposes and will aid the global Air Transport Association (IATA) in ensuring flight safety.

Uzbekistan Airlways has said it will ask customers to stand on the scales after they have had their hand luggage weighed.

The Tashkent-based airline, whose motto is “safety, stability, comfort”, has not made it clear whether larger passengers will be charged a fee, or excluded from flights on smaller planes. “As for the rest, full confidentiality of results is guaranteed”.

“We will appreciate your assistance and thank you in advance for the help in the solution of our common task of flight safety!” As of now, Uzbekistan Airways has not listed a weight limit for any individual passenger. The plane can only carry a certain amount of weight and that weight needs to be paid.

“All airlines have policies in place for load calculations, weight and balance of their aircraft”, said IATA spokesman Perry Flint.

This isn’t the first time an airline has monitored its passengers weights. “These policies in turn are subject to the rules and regulations of their national aviation regulator”.