Starting February 1, Air France may bar obese passengers from flying. The airline says this is necessary for security reasons.
It said that, under new rules, if a flight was full, an overweight person who did not fit into a single seat might have to take another plane.
It made the admission when it said obese people buying two seats for more comfort would be fully reimbursed for the second if the plane was not full.
At present Air France offers heavier passengers 25 per cent off the price of buying an adjacent seat, a policy that has been in effect since 2005.
The airline said it had no intention of forcing heavier passengers to pay for a second seat.
Air France is part of Air France-KLM, the largest airline group in Europe by revenue.