Scarlett Martinez International Airport guide

Scarlett Martínez International Airport sits on the Pacific coast of Coclé Province, beside the Pan-American Highway. It is the main gateway for the beach resorts of the Río Hato and Farallón area, about 90 minutes by road from Panama City. The IATA code is RIH and the ICAO code is MPSM.

The site began as Río Hato Army Air Base in 1931 and was used by the United States during World War II to help defend the Panama Canal. It served as an auxiliary landing field until 1990. In 2011 the Panamanian government ordered a $53.2 million rebuild that restored the runway and terminal and moved the Pan-American Highway into a tunnel under the airfield. The airport was officially opened by President Ricardo Martinelli on 13 November 2013, and scheduled flying began in 2014 with Sunwing charters from Toronto.

Traffic is seasonal and leisure-led, with most flights from Canada during the northern winter. The airport was named for Scarlett Martínez, a copilot lost in a 2000 flight accident. The Civil Aviation Authority handed it to Tocumen S.A. in January 2014, and the government has discussed a concession for the regional airports.