The Finnish authorities have announced that Finnair customers are now able to test their digital travel documents, also known as Digital Travel Credentials (DTC), on an additional 19 routes at the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.
So far, citizens of Finland have been able to test digital travel documents only on Finnair flights to London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and the other way around.
However, now that the testing period is nearing the end, passengers travelling to or from the destinations listed below can now also test their digital travel document at Helsinki Airport:
- Alanya
- Changi
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
- Doha International Airport
- Dubai International Airport
- Dublin International Airport
- Haneda
- Helsinki
- Indira Gandhi International Airport
- Hong Kong International Airport
- John F. Kennedy
- Kansai International Airport
- The Angels
- Narita
- Pu Dong
- Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport
- Incheon International Airport
- Larnaca Airport
- Miami
Finland became the first country to test digital travel documents in August 2023. As soon as the project was launched, all citizens of Finland were able to register to test the digital travel documents when taking Finnair flights to London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and back.
The digital travel document, DTC, that Finland is currently testing is the digital format of the regular passport. Ensuring Finns of the document’s advantages, the Finnish Border Guard said that the digital travel document is equally reliable as the physical passport.
The same stressed that the digital travel document permits all travellers to undergo the airport procedures faster without compromising their safety.
“DTC’s testers are involved in developing the next-generation travel document. DTC is a digital version of a physical passport and is equally reliable. It enables a smooth and fast border crossing without compromising safety.” Finnish Border Guard
As has been observed so far, the inspection of digital travel documents is very fast, with the average inspection time lasting less than ten seconds.
The Finnish authorities are trying to constantly push more people to test digital travel documents. They have called everyone taking flights to these destinations to start participating in the testing as this will benefit both parties.
The digital travel document that is currently being tested in Finland has been recognised as one of the groundbreaking inventions in the category of “Apps and Software” by the Times. As the latter revealed, Finland’s digital travel documents managed to secure a spot due to the facilitation in the travel process that it has provided.
