Several EU countries require travelers to have a negative corona test as a requirement for entry.
Finland is lagging somewhat behind other European countries in the administration of the second dose of the vaccine, which prevents many from traveling with the EU digital certificate of vaccination without the need for additional tests. Also in the case of young people and children, whose vaccination has not even begun, in many cases it is necessary to present a negative test to travel.
To further complicate the process, the antigen and PCR tests to date offered at the Helsinki Vantaa airport test point are extremely expensive compared to other European countries.
An antigen test at Madrid airport costs 25 euros and in Munich 40 euros, for example, while in Helsinki it costs around 150 euros.
"To make travel more accessible to more people, Finnair is now introducing a rapid antigen test that costs just 65 euros and is available from 4 August," Finnish flag carrier Finnair announced in a press release on Thursday.
Testing will be handled by Finnair Health Services and it will be available at Finnair’s headquarters in Vantaa near the airport at Tietotie 9.
Prices currently charged at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport testing spot. Photo: © Foreigner.fi.
Book online
The test can be booked online at finnairtest.mbooking.fi.
The booking can be made with a Finnish personal identity code, or with the date of birth. The test result and certificate in English are delivered electronically within two hours. The results are also available in My Kanta in Finland.
A testing spot at Munich airport, in Germany. Photo: Foreigner.fi.
“Pre-testing is a prerequisite for safe travel in many countries. Therefore it must be affordable and reasonably priced for anyone who wants to travel. Finnair's new rapid antigen testing service smoothens the journey. The rapid antigen test is a good option for tourists arriving in Finland who need a negative corona test certificate for their return journey. A growing number of countries are accepting rapid antigen testing as a travel document. Our aim is to make this available also in other locations in Finland”, says Kaarlo Karvonen, Finnair's Head of Security.
Some countries only accept PCR testing for pre-testing, which Finnair does not yet offer.
