“According to our current estimates, the new entry model prepared by the City of Vantaa and the health authorities, which will enter into force next Monday, may cause congestion for passengers arriving at Helsinki Airport. We ask passengers arriving in Finland to take this into account,” says Jani Elasmaa, Finavia’s Vice President responsible for Helsinki Airport’s runway and apron operations.
According to the new entry model, the health authorities of the City of Vantaa will check the COVID certificates of all passengers arriving from high-risk countries at Helsinki Airport. This is to ensure health security as EU internal border control ends. The health authorities of the City of Vantaa check the certificates at two points to which passengers are directed directly from the flights.
“Finavia will do its best to make the process as smooth as possible for the passengers. The process can be speeded up by already completing Finentry in the country of origin and preparing to show the necessary certificates.”
THL currently identifies as high-risk countries the countries 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 the 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,” says Elasmaa.
The Finnish Border Guard will continue border control at the Schengen external borders and provides administrative assistance and checks the certificates of non-Schengen passengers and directs the passengers to be tested for COVID-19 at the airport, if necessary.
Prepare to show your certificates already on the plane
Under the Communicable Diseases Act, the arriving passengers must present certificates upon arrival in the country. The passengers can significantly speed up the process by using the Finentry service, making arriving in Finland much easier. You can register for the service already in your country of origin. The passenger receives instructions on the necessary COVID-19 tests and can book a test appointment.
It is advisable to take out the necessary certificates in good time already on the plane. It speeds up the process at the airport. If you have not used Finentry, you will have to fill in a personal information form at the airport before proceeding.
Passengers who do not have the necessary evidence of vaccinations, confirmation of having been infected with COVID-19 or a negative test result will be directed to be tested for COVID-19.
If the passenger does not have any COVID-19 vaccinations or a certificate of a negative COVID-19 test, they must go to the first test immediately upon arrival and to the second test 72–120 hours later.
If the passenger has received one COVID-19 vaccination at least two weeks before or has a certificate of a negative test, they should only take the second test.
Fully vaccinated passengers do not need to go to the test if at least two weeks have elapsed since their last vaccination.
On Monday, 12 July, Finavia reopened Terminal 1 (T1) to passengers departing from Finland due to the additional space required by health security processes and the slight increase in the number of passengers. Next Monday, the T1 security control will also open, and it will initially be open during the busiest times in the morning. In addition to the departures and arrivals halls, Finavia will open additional space for passengers in the gate area.
Since the beginning of 2020, Finavia has been enhancing communications with passengers on hygiene guidelines, improving the cleaning of surfaces at airports and changing passenger processes so that the requirements in force can be met.
