Helsinki Airport launches express immigration check-in for Korean travelers
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Helsinki International Airport offers an automated border control kiosk service to help Korean travelers from across the world expedite their entry into the country. Previously, only Koreans leaving Finland were allowed to use the express service. / Courtesy of Finnair
By Chung Ah-young
Korean passport holders can now use the automated border control kiosk for their immigration inspections at Helsinki International Airport in Finland.
According to Finnair, Finland’s flagship carrier, the airport began the service on Feb. 8 to help Korean travelers from across the world expedite their entry into the country. Previously, only Koreans leaving Finland were allowed to use the express service.
In addition to Korea, citizens of Japan, Switzerland and countries in the European Union and Scandinavia who hold biometric passports can skip the line by using the fast-track border control machines.
Korean passport holders can now finish their entry procedures with an electronic passport check-in and a photo capture to provide their biographic information. The service doesn’t require pre-registration or membership.
“Finnair has offered various services, such as signs written in Korean and Korean staff at the Helsinki airport to help Korean travelers,” Kim Dong-hwan, Finnair’s Korea sales manager, said in a statement.
“Through the automated border control kiosk, Korean travelers are expected to enjoy more convenient and faster travel procedures,” he said.
The airport was the first in Europe to offer signposts written in Korean.
Finnair launched its Incheon-Helsinki route in June 2008 and currently flies the route seven times a week. The flight from Incheon to Helsinki takes nine hours and 35 minutes.