EU-OPS 1 - Extract 1 — Page 1, Lesson 8

Let's get into the mass values for passengers and baggage under EU-OPS 1. This is where we start turning the actual weight of people and their bags into standard, pre-approved numbers we can use for the load sheet. First, the passenger masses. The rule here is tied directly to how many seats the aeroplane has. Where the total number of passenger seats available is 19 or less, the standard masses in Table 2 are applicable. So this is a small aircraft — think of a regional turboprop or a light jet. For those, we use fixed numbers per passenger, and they break down by category. Look at Table 2 with me. For 1 to 5 passenger seats, a male is 104 kg, a female is 86 kg, and a child is 35 kg. For 6 to 9 seats, male drops to 96 kg, female to 78 kg, child stays at 35 kg. And for 10 to 19 seats, male is 92 kg, female is 74 kg, child again 35 kg. Notice the pattern — as the aeroplane gets bigger, the standard male and female masses get smaller. That's because on smaller aircraft, the passenger mix tends to be heavier, and the regulator builds in a bit more conservatism. The child mass is constant at 35 kg across all three bands. Now, there's a very important adjustment. On flights where no hand baggage is carried in the cabin, or where hand baggage is accounted for separately, 6 kg may be deducted from the male and female masses. So if you're on a 1–5 seat aeroplane, the male goes from 104 kg down to 98 kg, female from 86 kg down to 80 kg. But here's the catch — and this is a classic exam trap — articles such as an overcoat, an umbrella, a small handbag or purse, reading material, or a small camera are not considered as hand baggage for the purpose of this subparagraph. So a passenger carrying just a coat and a small purse still gets the 6 kg deduction. Only actual cabin baggage, like a carry-on suitcase, counts as hand baggage and blocks the deduction. Now let's move to baggage masses, subparagraph (f). The rule flips based on seat count. Where the total number of passenger seats available is 20 or more, the standard mass values in Table 3 are applicable for each piece of checked baggage. But for aeroplanes with 19 passenger seats or less, the actual mass of checked baggage, determined by weighing, must be used. So small aircraft — you weigh every bag. Big aircraft — you can use the table. Table 3 gives us the baggage standard mass by type of flight, and we need to define those flight types precisely. A Domestic flight means a flight with origin and destination within the borders of one State. Flights within the European region means flights, other than Domestic flights, whose origin and destination are within the area specified in Appendix 1 to OPS 1.620(f). And an Intercontinental flight, other than flights within the European region, means a flight with origin and destination in different continents. So the table itself: for Domestic flights, baggage standard mass is 11 kg. For flights within the European region, it's 13 kg. For Intercontinental, it's 15 kg. And there's a catch-all row — All other — which is 13 kg. So if a flight doesn't fit neatly into domestic, European region, or intercontinental, you use 13 kg. Finally, subparagraph (g). If an operator wishes to use standard mass values other than those contained in Tables 1 to 3, he must advise the Authority of his reasons and gain its approval in advance. So the tables are the default, but they're not a straitjacket — an operator can petition for different values, but only with documented justification and prior approval from the Authority. One thing to keep straight in your head: the passenger table applies to 19 seats or less, the baggage table applies to 20 seats or more, and the baggage for 19 or fewer seats must be weighed. That asymmetry is deliberate, and it's exactly the kind of detail that shows up in a load sheet exercise.