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Dave

Finnair to accept Covid-19 vaccination certificate as an alternative to negative test result or an immunity certificate when travelling to Finland

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Finnair will start accepting a Covid-19 vaccination certificate from the first vaccination dose as an alternative to a negative test result or a certificate of a previous Covid-19 infection, on Finnair flights to Finland from 11 May, 2021.

Since late January 2021, Finnair has required that all passengers travelling to Finland – excluding transfer passengers – present either a negative test certificate or an immunity/recovery certificate as a prerequisite for boarding, in line with the recommendation by the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare.

In addition, from 11 May, there is no requirement for children under the age of 16 to present a health certificate, but Finnair recommends children between 12 and 15 years of age arrive with proof of a negative test result. This is to speed up the arrival procedure at Helsinki Airport, where passengers with a negative test result are exempt from testing on arrival.

Kimmo Ketola, Finnair Medical Director said,

Vaccines have proven their power in fighting the pandemic, and vaccination certificates will play a key role in the upcoming EU Digital Green Certificate to ensure the health and safety of travellers.

The likelihood of a vaccinated person being infected and transmitting Covid-19 is very small.

Finnair will accept vaccination certificates for all Covid-19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organization or the European Medical Agency. The vaccine needs to be administered at least 21 days before the travel date. The certificate needs to include the customer’s name, date of birth, the name of the vaccine producer, the time and place the vaccine was administered, as well as the issuer of the certificate.

As an alternative to the vaccination certificate, customers can present proof of a negative Covid-19 test result or a certificate of a previous Covid-19 infection.

Paul Baker, Sales Director of GTM explained what this can mean for UK-based business travellers,

Finnair specialises in traffic between Europe and Asia, because the fastest connections between many European destinations and Asian megacities fly over Finland. Finnair’s requirement of a Covid-19 vaccine certificate as an alternative to a negative Covid-19 test will be useful for British business travellers, since the vaccine rollout has been so successful in the UK so far.

Finnair closely follows the development of health and safety measures in travel, and regularly updates its own procedures. Finnair flights have comprehensive health and safety measures in place, including a requirement to wear a mask during the flight. Measures are also in place when boarding and disembarking the aircraft, as well as during the flight.

Passengers will need to be sure of the travel restrictions in place between the UK and Finland and should check with GTM before travelling.

Paul

New UK Passport Exit Checks.

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Data on all passengers leaving the UK will now be collected and handed to the Home Office. The new scheme will be phased in at the country’s ports and border crossings.

Officials will now record the details of all travellers leaving by air, sea and rail. It is thought that the new checks will have a dis-proportionate affect on cross-channel ferry and Channel Tunnel travellers.

For the first month all passports will be scanned, but only 25% of the passport holders will have their details verified to ensure they are genuine, in a bid to minimise disruption. After a month, there will be a move to 50% verification and by the middle of June 100% verification will be introduced.

Paul

Easyjet To Begin Services To Moscow.

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Easyjet is to be allowed to operate flights from London to Moscow, in preference to Virgin Atlantic, thanks to a ruling by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The CAA has announced that Easyjet will join British Airways in being entitled to fly on the London-Moscow route under the bilateral agreement between the UK and Russian
governments. Easyjet plans to operate its Moscow service from London Gatwick, while BA will continue offering flights from London Heathrow. Bmi had been the second UK carrier
flying between London and Moscow under the bilateral deal but it has now stopped operating on the route following its takeover by BA.

Virgin had wanted to fly from Heathrow using the former Bmi slots which are being relinquished by BA, as part of its deal with European regulators to allow the purchase
to go ahead.

Easyjet is set to start its Moscow service in spring 2013 and said it would offer two daily flights on the Gatwick-Moscow Domodedovo route and expected to carry 230,000 passengers in its first year of operation.