In order for the journey from arrival at the airport to arrival at the destination country and the return home to run smoothly, it is important that passengers take time, familiarize themselves with the conditions of entry into the destination country, and comply with all established rules. Completing the traveler’s questionnaire via the website will help reduce queues. At present, just over half of passengers use the online questionnaire option.
According to Katrin Hagel, Head of Passenger Services at Tallinn Airport, the aim of the airport is to ensure the safe, convenient and fast dispatching of passengers for the trip, as well as later reception. “One of the major concerns is the lack of digital completion of the traveler’s questionnaire. Namely, everybody arriving in Estonia, except for COVID survivors, vaccinated, and other persons who are not subject to travel restrictions according to the order of the Government of the Republic, do not have to fill in the traveler’s questionnaire before the trip if they have evidence to provide, but there are still a large number of people who do not do it. This, in turn, leads to queues on arrival in the country, i.e., at the airport premises. We want to offer passengers the most comfortable conditions possible, taking maximum account of the principle of dispersal, but at the moment, we find it difficult to do so.” Hagel added that if the questionnaire has been completed earlier and all the necessary documents are available, the entire process of arrival and transit through the airport would be several times faster. “The existence of travel documents and other necessary evidence upon arrival in the country is checked by the Police and Border Guard Board, and they do a very good and appreciative job, checking the questionnaires and sharing information about the rules of entry.”
In addition, Hagel pointed out that more time and attention is required for the screening of departing passengers, where all passengers must check the existence and validity of the necessary documents and proof of entry to ensure a smooth journey and arrival in the country of destination. “At the moment, when traveling, the requirements of the countries of destination must continue to be followed very closely. This means, for example, what kind of test the country of destination requires (antigen or PCR test) and how much earlier it may have been done (either x time before entering or leaving the country of destination).”
The priority of AS Tallinna Lennujaam is to ensure the safety and security of passengers and employees, and it has therefore implemented several prevention and safety measures throughout the crisis period. Tallinn Airport won the recognition of the Airports Council International (ACI) for the year 2020 for the implementation of various prevention and safety measures during the pandemic. In the first quarter of 2021, more than 87% of passengers were satisfied with the safety measures implemented at Tallinn Airport.
