Every day, some 600 coaches and buses depart from Helsinki Airport's 17 platforms.
Most of them are buses on Helsinki Region Transport (HSL) local routes, and the rest are a mixture of shuttles heading to car parks and hotels, charter buses, and long-distance coaches.
The long-distance routes cover all of the larger cities within 200–300 kilometres, such as Tampere, Turku, Pori, Lahti, and Jyväskylä. Some services require a change of bus.
'Even some coach services from northern Finland, such as Helsinki–Rovaniemi, pass via the airport,' says Nina Vainioranta, a key account manager for Finavia.
Finland's largest taxi rank
Helsinki Airport sports the largest taxi rank in Finland, as judged by the number of departing cabs and the total turnover. There are, on average, 2,500 departures a day, with the busiest days notching up 4,000 departures.
A taxi drive from the airport to the centre of Helsinki takes 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the time of day, and the cost is between 40 and 50 euros. The price includes the 'airport surcharge' of 2.30 euros (VAT included).
'This airport surcharge is based on the maximum prices charged to consumers as specified in a Government Decree and collected by Taxi Point Oy, the company in charge of the airport's taxi traffic,' Vainioranta clarifies.
Travel by Ring Rail Line from 2015
From summer 2015, the airport will be reachable by train too – work on the Ring Rail Line is scheduled to be completed soon.
'The railway station is under the airport building, letting passengers take a lift or the stairs from the station to the terminal without going outside,' Vainioranta adds.
In daytime, local trains pass the airport every 10 minutes, getting passengers to the city centre in roughly half an hour.
While no long-distance trains will use the Ring Rail Line, the airport can be reached from anywhere in Finland with a change to a local train in Tikkurila or Pasila.
