“At the airport, we have made all the required changes to ensure that passenger processes and guidance meet the new health security instructions of the authorities. We only had limited time do this, so it is possible that we still have to fine-tune the processes and guidance,” says Jani Ceder, Head of the Airport Operations Center at Finavia.
The process and guidance changes recommended by THL were implemented in less than 24 hours. Finavia, for example, built new testing points in the terminal and transferred the current points from the arrivals halls to the gate area. Passenger processes and guidance at Helsinki Airport were simultaneously renewed.
Finavia also arranged training on the new instructions, which was attended by most customer service personnel. A significant proportion of the official instructions distributed at the airport will also be renewed on time. Information is available in digital format as well as at nearly one hundred information points.
The authorities have estimated that there may be congestion at the airport’s COVID-19 testing points when flights arrive, while the number of passengers to be tested will multiply.
“We ask passengers arriving from abroad to be prepared for queues at the testing points starting from Friday,” says Ceder. The resources and service at the testing points are provided in cooperation with the City of Vantaa and the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS).
Ceder would also like to remind visitors to the airport that family members and friends should wait for passengers in the reception area of Terminal 1 or in their car in the parking area. Terminal 2 is reserved only for passengers and personnel in order to maintain safe distances.
Passengers are asked to check the health security instructions for entering the country on THL’s website and the valid travel restrictions found on the Finnish Border Guard’s website. The Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa has launched a new Finentry service, which makes entry to the country smoother, and can also be used to book an appointment for a COVID-19 test.
Finavia has compiled the COVID-19 instructions concerning air travel on Finavia’s website and answers to COVID-19-related questions concerning air travel in social media and through the helpline 24/7.
