Airport transfers from Tocumen, Panama Pacifico and Rio Hato

How the pickup works

You email us your flight number, arrival date, number of passengers and bags, and the address you are going to. We reply with a price. Once you confirm, we send the driver's details and where to meet. We track the flight, so an early landing or a two hour delay does not change the plan. At Tocumen the driver waits at the arrivals exit of your terminal with a name sign, past the taxi desks and the people offering rides (ignore those; they are not airport staff).

One thing worth knowing before you land: Copa Airlines passengers clear immigration and collect bags in Terminal 2, even when the aircraft parks at a Terminal 1 gate. Most other airlines, including American, Delta, Avianca and Iberia, use Terminal 1. The two buildings are joined by a walkway of roughly 170 meters, and the airport runs a free shuttle between them. Tell us the airline and we will know which door you come out of.

Tocumen (PTY): distances, drive times and tolls

Tocumen is about 22 km east of the banking district. The quick way in is the Corredor Sur, a toll expressway on pillars along the coast and drops you near Paitilla and the Cinta Costera. For a car it costs about US$2.65 end to end (US$1.25 at the Ciudad Radial plaza plus US$1.40 at Atlapa), and it is electronic only: no cash lanes, Panapass transponder required. The free alternative is Via Tocumen and Avenida Domingo Diaz through the eastern suburbs, which is fine at 6 am and miserable at 6 pm.

For the beaches you keep going west across the city. Drivers usually take the Corredor Sur to the Corredor Norte and then the Centenario Bridge over the canal, or the Cinta Costera and the Bridge of the Americas if traffic allows. Past the bridges, the Autopista Arraijan-La Chorrera has been toll free since 2009, and the Interamericana beyond La Chorrera has no tolls at all. The distances and free-flow times below come from OpenStreetMap routing; the upper end of each range is what we see on a Friday afternoon or the day before a holiday weekend.

Panama Pacifico (BLB)

Panama Pacifico is the old Howard air base on the west bank of the canal, about 16 km from the banking district by road. It handles a few flights a day, mostly Wingo from Bogota, Medellin and Havana, plus some charters. The terminal is small, so you are out the door in minutes. Getting into the city means crossing the Bridge of the Americas, which is 15 to 20 minutes on a good day and the worst bottleneck in the country at rush hour. There is no toll on the bridge itself.

The real advantage of this airport is for beach travelers. You start on the correct side of the canal, so Coronado is about 82 km and roughly 1 h 15 min away rather than two hours from Tocumen.

Rio Hato, Scarlett Martinez airport (RIH)

Scarlett Martinez International sits right on the Interamericana at Rio Hato, in Cocle province, in the middle of the resort strip. Santa Clara is 4 km away and the Playa Blanca resorts about 6 km. The catch is the schedule. As of late 2026 the only regular flights are seasonal charters from Canada (Air Transat and WestJet from Montreal, Toronto and Quebec City) that run roughly November to April, two or three a week, plus a weekly Aeroregional charter from Quito announced for mid 2026. There are no domestic flights from Panama City. If you are on one of those Canadian flights and staying at Decameron, Riu or the Santa Clara rentals, this is the airport to use, and the transfer is a short one.

Going the other direction, from Rio Hato to Panama City, is about 118 km and 1 h 45 min to 2 h 30 min, with no tolls unless the driver uses the Corredor Sur or Norte inside the city.

What slows the trip down

The Interamericana itself is a divided highway and the driving is easy. The time is lost in the city and at the canal crossings. Weekday rush hours are roughly 6:30 to 9 am heading into the city and 4 to 7 pm heading out. Friday afternoons before a long weekend, the westbound jam at the Bridge of the Americas can start in Albrook and the Centenario Bridge fills up too. Sunday evenings the same thing happens eastbound. November is the worst month for this, with the independence holidays on the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 10th and 28th emptying the city toward the beaches.

The Bridge of the Americas also closes for maintenance now and then, usually overnight on weekends with a few days' notice from the Ministry of Public Works (there were full closures for load testing in April 2026, 10 pm to 2 am). When that happens traffic is diverted to the Centenario Bridge, which adds 15 to 30 minutes. Rain is the other factor. From April to December expect a heavy downpour most afternoons; it rarely lasts more than an hour, but visibility drops and everyone slows down, and the city streets flood in places. A 10 am landing has an easier ride than a 4 pm one, every month of the year.

If you are arriving at Tocumen between about 5 and 7 pm on a weekday and heading to the beaches, it is honestly worth asking whether an hour in the airport for a coffee beats an hour sitting on Avenida Balboa. We will tell you what the traffic looks like when you land.

Alternatives, so you can compare

The official Tocumen taxi cooperative has desks at the arrivals exits of both terminals with fixed fares by destination: US$30 to Panama City, US$38 to Amador, US$80 to Gorgona or Chame, US$120 to Coronado, San Carlos or Playa Blanca, for up to two passengers (extra passengers cost more; ask at the desk). Uber, DiDi and inDrive also work from the airport, picking up from the parking garage outside Terminal 2 rather than the curb, and fares into the city are usually in the US$15 to US$25 range depending on demand.

Panama Metro Line 2 has an Aeropuerto station between the two terminals, a 5 to 10 minute walk from arrivals. It costs US$0.50 plus US$0.35 to transfer to Line 1, and the trip to the El Cangrejo hotel area takes about an hour with the change at San Miguelito. The trains stop around 10 or 11 pm, and it is not a good option with large suitcases at commuter hours. For the beaches without a car, you would need to reach the Albrook bus terminal first and then take a San Carlos or Penonome bus for US$4 to US$6, which drops you on the highway, not at your door.

• Official airport taxi: fixed fares at the desk, up to 2 passengers, cash or card at the counter.
• Ride apps: pickup in the Terminal 2 garage, US$15 to US$25 to the city, surge pricing late at night.
• Metro Line 2: US$0.85 total to downtown, about 1 hour, no overnight service.
• Our private transfer: quoted by email in advance, driver with name sign at your terminal exit.

Frequently asked questions

Facts checked 2026-11. Fees, hours and road works change, so confirm before you go.