Obese passengers who are unable to squeeze into a single plane seat are to be charged double to fly with Air France.

Overweight flyers will be asked to pay for two seats, or not be allowed to board for safety reasons, the airline has announced.

The overweight charges come two years after Air France was ordered to pay £5,000 damages for ‘humiliation’ to a 27-stone passenger who had his stomach measured at an airport check-in desk and then told to buy two seats.

Those looking to adopt a healthier lifestyle and lose weight in 2010 can come for a consultation with an expert bariatric surgeon at The Hospital Group.

The Hospital Group is the UK’s biggest provider of weight loss surgery, including gastric bands, gastric bypasses and gastric balloons.

David Ross, Chief Executive of The Hospital Group said: “Being overweight can affect every aspect of a person’s life.

“Despite best efforts, some people will need a helping hand to lose weight. Obesity surgery is by no means an easy option, but can provide lasting, dramatic results, which can change a person’s life and help them to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

“Those who come to The Hospital Group, can be assured of a dedicated, professional service, with astounding success rates.

“This latest news is just another reason to seek an effective weight loss solution with The Hospital Group.”

Access to NHS weight loss surgery is “inconsistent and unethical” with some obese patients effectively being made to eat more to get an operation, doctors’ leaders have said.

The Royal College of Surgeons (RSC) said NHS funding constraints meant some patients who already qualify for operations are being forced to wait until they are more obese or develop life-threatening illnesses such as diabetes.

It has calculated that out of around 240,000 people requiring weight-loss surgery, only 4,300 – or 2% – had operations carried out last year. The college also said that approximately two thirds of surgeons saw patients eligible under national medical guidelines being refused surgery in their centres.

Patients who want to lose weight can be assured they will receive a top class service with The Hospital Group.

The Hospital Group is the UK’s biggest provider of weight loss surgery, including gastric bands, gastric bypasses and gastric balloons which can give you a healthier lifestyle.

David Ross, Chief Executive of The Hospital Group said: “Those patients who come to us are offered a friendly and relaxing consultation in the comfort of our luxury hospitals.

“At The Hospital Group we can offer specialist obesity surgeons who have maximum experience in this field.

“Those who come to The Hospital Group, can be assured of a dedicated, professional service, with astounding success rates and a limited waiting time. This latest news is just another reason to seek an effective weight loss solution with The Hospital Group.”

Since The Hospital Group was established in 1992, it has risen to become the UK’s biggest weight loss surgery providers, performing more gastric procedures last year than the NHS.