# Imperial County Airport (IPL)

> Imperial, US · IATA: IPL · ICAO: KIPL · Medium Airport

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `IPL` |
| ICAO | `KIPL` |
| City | Imperial |
| Country | US |
| Type | Medium Airport |
| Elevation | -16 m |
| Cargo | ❌ |
| GPS | 32.83539, -115.57403 |

## Description

Southern Airways Express is the only scheduled carrier at Imperial County Airport (IATA: IPL, ICAO: KIPL) near El Centro, flying nine-seat Cessna Grand Caravans several times daily to Los Angeles (LAX) and Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) under the federal Essential Air Service programme; the field logged about 3,500 enplanements in 2025, and in early 2026 the airline pitched the Imperial County Board of Supervisors for a two-year contract extension. The airport sits in the Imperial Valley, source of much of America's winter lettuce and vegetables — produce that leaves in refrigerated trucks on Interstate 8 rather than by air. No air cargo is processed here: there is no freight terminal, no freighter service, and the aircraft size permits only small consignments. Forwarder freight therefore routes through San Diego (SAN) or Ontario (ONT) in the Los Angeles basin, two to three hours by road. Cross-border traffic runs through the Calexico East and Calexico West ports of entry into Mexicali, Mexico, where US customs clearance takes place and Mexicali (MXL) offers a further air option. New logistics demand is taking shape at the nearby Salton Sea, where billion-dollar lithium projects are creating a "Lithium Valley". For now, IPL remains a passenger and general-aviation field with no freight role.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/imperial-county-airport-ipl](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/imperial-county-airport-ipl)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/imperial-county-airport-ipl](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/imperial-county-airport-ipl)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/imperial-county-airport-ipl/llm-summary*