The number of passengers at the external border traffic at Helsinki airport has decreased compared to the previous week, the Finnish Border Guard has revealed.
According to a press release issued by the Border Guard, during week 51, a total of 39,002 passengers entered the territory of Finland. This number suggests a significant drop as during week 50 the country welcomed over 40,000 passengers.
Moreover, during the same week, the Finnish authorities carried out 223 border checks, which was 203 more compared to week 50, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
“At Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, the number of passengers in external border traffic decreased compared to the previous week. In week 51, 39,002 (week 50: 40 808) border checks and 223 (week 50:20) checks related to foreign regulations were carried out at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport,” the statement of the Finnish Border Guard reads.
The same has revealed that during week 51, the Port Border Inspection Unit continued to carry out intensified controls at the ports of Helsinki. During week 51, the authorities carried out a total of 550 inspections, 190 less than the previous week.
The data also shows that during the same week, five persons in internal border traffic were denied entry to Helsinki Airport and in the ports of Helsinki. Except for that, a total of 21 asylum applications were received, and another 16 were denied during week 51.
“No new preliminary examinations were initiated in the Gulf of Finland during week 51 (week 50: three, two of which were dealt with under a restricted procedure),” the Border Guard added.
In addition, apart from monitoring the movement of passengers, the Finnish Coast Guard highlighted that they would continue to monitor and prevent any unlawful acts on illegal entries.
During week 51, all persons who reached Finland were required to present a COVID-19 test, a vaccination certificate or a recovery certificate.
Yesterday, the Finnish authorities announced changes to the entry rules. The authorities explained that from December 28, Finland would reintroduce internal border controls with all the other Schengen Area countries as a response to the spread of the Omicron variant.
The data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that Finland has reported 13,096 new infection cases in the last seven days. As for the Omicron variant, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), revealed that Finland registered 34 Omicron variant cases as of December 19.
Source: Civil Aviation Authority – Qatar