# Almirante Padilla Airport (RCH)

> Riohacha, CO · IATA: RCH · ICAO: SKRH · Medium Airport

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `RCH` |
| ICAO | `SKRH` |
| City | Riohacha |
| Country | CO |
| Type | Medium Airport |
| Elevation | 13 m |
| Cargo | ❌ |
| GPS | 11.52620, -72.92600 |

## Description

519,248 passengers in 2023 and a further 21 % growth in 2024 pushed Almirante Padilla Airport (RCH/SKRH) past the 600,000 mark, making Riohacha one of the faster-growing regional airports on Colombia's Caribbean coast. In August 2025 the national government and the infrastructure agency ANI announced an expansion worth around 50 billion pesos, designed to lift capacity to one million passengers a year. Air freight, however, remains a minor part of the picture: shipments travel as belly cargo on domestic services, and no dedicated cargo terminal or scheduled freighter operation is documented. La Guajira's coal from the Cerrejón mine leaves by dedicated rail to the coal port of Puerto Bolívar, while general cargo moves by truck along the Caribbean coast towards Santa Marta and Barranquilla. Exporters and importers in the department therefore book air freight and customs clearance through Barranquilla-Ernesto Cortissoz (BAQ) or Bogotá-El Dorado (BOG), Colombia's principal cargo gateway. Santa Marta-Simón Bolívar (SMR), roughly 160 km west, is the nearest alternative for additional passenger and belly cargo capacity.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/almirante-padilla-airport-rch](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/almirante-padilla-airport-rch)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/almirante-padilla-airport-rch](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/almirante-padilla-airport-rch)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/almirante-padilla-airport-rch/llm-summary*