# Karratha Airport (KTA)

> Karratha, AU · IATA: KTA · ICAO: YPKA · Medium Airport · Cargo Hub

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `KTA` |
| ICAO | `YPKA` |
| City | Karratha |
| Country | AU |
| Type | Medium Airport |
| Elevation | 9 m |
| Cargo | ✅ |
| GPS | -20.71220, 116.77300 |

## Description

The Pilbara runs on iron ore, North West Shelf LNG and ammonia, and Karratha Airport — Western Australia's second busiest — is the air access point that keeps this A$50 billion export region staffed and supplied. Fly-in fly-out traffic for the resources sector dominates, served by a recently completed terminal upgrade worth around A$35 million. Air freight is real but rides in the holds of scheduled Perth services rather than on freighters; specialist operators such as LAST Aviation handle palletised cargo up to 272 kilograms a piece with forklift loading at the terminal. Heavy project and bulk consignments move through the nearby deep-water ports of Dampier and Port Hedland, among the world's largest ore and LNG export harbours. For volume international airfreight, Perth remains the nearest full handling point. Forwarders including CargoMaster consolidate Pilbara shipments via Karratha. Regional studies note the airport could be adapted at short notice for scheduled international freight, given ongoing customs and quarantine support.

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

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

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