# Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole (KOA)

> Kailua-Kona, US · IATA: KOA · ICAO: PHKO · Medium Airport · Cargo Hub

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `KOA` |
| ICAO | `PHKO` |
| City | Kailua-Kona |
| Country | US |
| Type | Medium Airport |
| Elevation | 14 m |
| Cargo | ✅ |
| GPS | 19.73878, -156.04560 |

## Description

Aloha Air Cargo sets the rhythm at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole (IATA: KOA, ICAO: PHKO), running Boeing 737 freighters six days a week and handling more than 70% of Hawaii's inter-island air cargo. From the dry, lava-strewn west coast of the Big Island, its refrigerated network keeps Kona coffee, seafood and cut flowers cold until they reach the consolidation hubs; transpacific shipments then move onward through Honolulu (HNL). The freight is real but modest. Named for the island-born astronaut lost aboard Challenger in 1986, KOA also serves steady resort traffic to the Kohala coast, with passenger numbers up about 2.4% in 2024 and a runway rehabilitation completed in 2025. Volcanic haze, the local vog, is part of the operating day here.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/ellison-onizuka-kona-international-airport-at-keahole-airport-koa](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/ellison-onizuka-kona-international-airport-at-keahole-airport-koa)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/ellison-onizuka-kona-international-airport-at-keahole-airport-koa](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/ellison-onizuka-kona-international-airport-at-keahole-airport-koa)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/ellison-onizuka-kona-international-airport-at-keahole-airport-koa/llm-summary*