The Finnish authorities announced that digital travel documents, which are also called Digital Travel Credentials (DTC) can now be tested by Finnair customers on 19 additional destinations.
According to reports, citizens of Finland were able to test their digital travel documents at the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport only on Finnair flights to Edinburg, Manchester and London, along with the other way round.
The expansion
But, now that the testing period is close to ending, passengers travelling to, or from, 19 additional destinations would also be able to test their DTCs at Helsinki Airport.
These destinations include Doha International Airport, Alanya, Haneda, John F. Kennedy, Dublin International Airport, Incheon International Airport, Miami, Kansai International Airport and Pu Dong.
Others are The Angels, Changi, Dubai International Airport, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Larnaca Airport, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Hong Kong International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
In August 2023, Finland had become the first country to start testing digital travel documents. The launch of the project meant that digital travel documents could be registered by all citizens of Finland.
They could do so when taking Finnair flights to Edinburg, Manchester or London, and back from these locations.
DTC
The DTC i.e. the digital travel document currently being tested by Finland is actually a digital version of a regular passport.
The Finnish Border Guard reassured Finns about the advantages of the document and said that the reliability of the digital travel document is the same as a physical passport.
It also stressed that thanks to the digital travel document, travelers are able to get through the airport procedures a lot more quickly and without making any compromises in terms of safety.
The Finnish Border Guard said that DTC testers were aiming at developing a travel document for the next generation.
It said that the DTC is simply the digital version of a physical passport and ensures a faster and smooth border crossing without compromising the safety of travelers.
More details
So far, the digital travel documents do prove to be quite fast, as the average inspection time does not exceed ten seconds.
The Finnish authorities are trying to convince more people into testing digital travel documents. They have requested everyone traveling to these destinations to begin participating in the testing.
The authorities have asserted that this would benefit both parties. The Times has recognized the digital travel document that Finland is currently testing as one of the groundbreaking inventions.
It falls in the category of ‘Apps and Software’. The reason that these digital travel documents have managed to get this recognition is because they help facilitate the travel process for people.
With more destinations now testing the DTC, there is a good chance that they will eventually be used on a wider scale.
This would undoubtedly help in speeding up the travel process for travelers in the long run and reduce airport crowds.
