Finnish airport operator Finavia has warned of future congestion at Helsinki Airport due to its new passenger entry model.
This week, health authorities began checking the Covid-19 certificates of all passengers arriving in Finland at Helsinki Airport, which the operator warned has the potential to lead to queues and long waiting times.
Finavia vice president Jani Elasmaa said, “According to our current estimates, the new entry model prepared by the City of Vantaa and the health authorities may cause congestion for passengers arriving at Helsinki Airport. We ask passengers arriving in Finland to take this into account.”
According to the new entry model, health authorities of the City of Vantaa check the certificates at two points of entry which passengers are directed to from flights.
“Finavia will do its best to make the process as smooth as possible for the passengers,” added Elasmaa. “The process can be speeded up by already completing Finentry in the country of origin and preparing to show the necessary certificates.”
The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare currently identifies high-risk countries as those with more than 10 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 population in the last 14 days.
The health authorities of the City of Vantaa also work to find out the original countries of origin of people arriving from low-risk countries, so that people arriving through them on a transfer flight to Finland can be directed to undertake necessary certificate checks and possible coronavirus tests.
“We are pleased that travel restrictions are being lifted, and the abolition of internal border controls is a step in the right direction. However, the new entry model is exceptional in comparison to other European countries and may have a negative impact on Finland’s tourism and image,” added Elasmaa.