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Passenger jets of Japan's air carrier All Nippon Airways are seen parked on the tarmac at Tokyo International Airport in 2008. The Japanese airline is taking its weight-saving efforts to new heights, asking passengers on some of its flights to visit the restroom before flying.

A Japanese airline is taking its weight-saving efforts to new heights, asking passengers on some of its flights to visit the restroom before flying.

The unusual request is one of a number of measures being tried out by All Nippon Airways to reduce fuel consumption.

ANA estimates that if half its passengers went to the bathroom before boarding, it could reduce its carbon dioxide emissions² by 4.2 tons a month, said company spokeswoman Megumi Tezuka.

The airline will also recycle paper cups and plastic bottles, and use chopsticks produced from wood from forest thinning projects, as part of its efforts to become more environmentally friendly.

The measures are being trialled on 38 domestic flights and four international flights -- on the Tokyo-Singapore route -- during October.

The move follows earlier steps by airlines to reduce the weight of flights by trimming the size of in-flight magazines, slimming the handles of forks and spoons and using lighter³ drink trolleys⁴ and porcelain⁵.

ANA announced in April its first annual loss in six years as the global economic downturn reduced the number of people taking to the skies.

It is not the only airline looking to the lavatory⁶ to save money. Irish budget airline Ryanair has previously⁷ said it is considering charging passengers to use on-board toilets.

日本一家航空公司誓将飞机“减负”进行到底，要求其部分航班的乘客在登机前上厕所。

这一“离谱”要求是全日本航空公司为了降低飞机在飞行中的燃料消耗量而试行的一系列措施之一。

全日空公司的发言人手冢惠美说，据估算，如果有一半的乘客在登机前如厕排空，那么飞机每月可减少4.2吨的二氧化碳排放量。

作为其环保措施的一部分，该航空公司还将回收纸杯和塑料瓶，并将使用由森林间伐项目所产木材制成的筷子。

这些措施于本月在全日空的38个国内航班和东京至新加坡的四个国际航班上试行。

在全日空公司推出这项举措之前，已有一些航空公司开始为飞机“减负”，如减小机内杂志尺寸、为餐叉和勺子手柄“瘦身”以及采用更轻便的饮料手推车和瓷器等。

今年四月，全日空公司六年来首次宣布其财年亏损，这主要是因为全球经济衰退导致坐飞机的人减少。

全日空公司并非唯一一家指望通过厕所来省钱的航空公司。爱尔兰廉价航空公司Ryanair此前就表示，该公司正考虑向使用机上厕所的乘客收费。

Vocabulary:

forest thinning:森林间伐

in-flight: provided or offered during a flight 飞行过程中提供的

lavatory: a flush toilet 厕所