Yandicoogina Airport

Economic and logistical consolidation. The airport was a private airstrip supporting the Yandicoogina mine. Its operator, BHP, constructed the new, larger, and more modern Ginbata Airport (ICAO: YGIA) approximately 35 km away to serve as a central hub for its Yandicoogina, Mining Area C, and Jimblebar operations. The opening of Ginbata Airport, which can accommodate larger jet aircraft and handle greater passenger volumes more efficiently, made the smaller Yandicoogina airstrip redundant.

The airport is permanently closed and decommissioned. Satellite imagery shows the unsealed runway is still visible but is unmaintained, with no markings, and is not used for any aviation activities. The site remains part of the Yandicoogina mine lease but serves no operational purpose.

Yandicoogina Airport was a private airfield crucial to the operation of BHP's Yandicoogina (Yandi) iron ore mine, one of the world's largest. Its primary purpose was to facilitate the Fly-In Fly-Out (FIFO) roster for the mine's workforce. The airport handled regular charter flights, typically operated by turboprop aircraft such as the Fokker 50 and Dash 8, transporting thousands of workers to and from the remote site. It was an essential piece of infrastructure that enabled the development and sustained production of the mine from its inception until air services were centralized.

Effectively zero. There are no plans or prospects for reopening the airport. Its function was entirely superseded by the nearby Ginbata Airport (YGIA), which represents a significant investment by BHP in modern, centralized aviation infrastructure. Reverting to the older, less capable Yandicoogina airstrip would be operationally and economically illogical.