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Airport codes are 3-letter geocode identifiers assigned to airports by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). These codes are used to identify airports, cities with one or more airports, and metropolitan areas. While most airport codes are assigned by IATA, some airports, particularly in Russia and the U.S., use different coding systems. For example, several airports in Alaska use FAA codes instead of ICAO codes. Additionally, some Canadian airport codes start with the letter Y if they had a weather station when they were established. These codes can be challenging to associate with specific cities, but some have become well-known, such as Toronto's YYZ, which was featured in a song by the rock band Rush.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the code | IATA airport code |
| Other names | IATA location identifier, IATA station code, location identifier |
| Description | A unique three-letter geocode designating many airports, cities (with one or more airports) and metropolitan areas (cities with more than one airport) around the world |
| Governing body | International Air Transport Association (IATA) |
| Administration | IATA's headquarters in Montreal, Canada |
| Publication | Published semi-annually in the IATA Airline Coding Directory |
| Code provision | Provides codes for airport handling entities and certain railway stations |
| Code availability | Available for search on the IATA website |
| Code examples | YYZ for Toronto Pearson, YUL for Montréal–Trudeau, YYC for Calgary International Airport, YVR for Vancouver International Airport |
| Special cases | Airports in the U.S. Navy reserved "N" codes, and to prevent confusion with Federal Communications Commission broadcast call signs, which begin with "W" or "K", the airports of certain U.S. cities had to adopt "irregular" airport codes |
| Exceptions | Some airports in Russia and Greenland lack IATA codes and use internal Russian or 3-letter codes respectively |
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IATA codes
The IATA codes are essential for identifying airlines, their destinations, and their traffic documents. They are also fundamental to the smooth functioning of numerous electronic applications built around these coding systems for passenger and cargo traffic management. Airlines and CRSs may request a unique three-letter code to identify a location, such as an airport.
Some examples of IATA codes for airports include YYZ for Toronto Pearson Airport, YUL for Montréal–Trudeau, FAT for Fresno Yosemite International Airport, MCO for Orlando International Airport, GEG for Spokane International Airport, and MSY for Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
In China, some notable IATA codes for major cities include PEK for Beijing, CKG for Chongqing, and CAN for Guangzhou. These older codes followed Chinese postal romanization, which was introduced in 1906 and gradually superseded by Pinyin from the 1960s onwards.
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FAA identifiers
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) assigns location identifiers to airports in the US. These FAA identifiers are three- to five-character alphanumeric codes identifying aviation-related facilities inside the country.
For major airports, the FAA identifier is typically a three-letter code, such as ORD for Chicago O'Hare International Airport, LAX for Los Angeles International Airport, or EMT for Corona Municipal Airport. However, there are exceptions, such as Sawyer International Airport in Marquette, Michigan, which uses the FAA identifier SAW.
Minor airfields are usually assigned a mix of alphanumeric characters, like 8N2 for Skydive Chicago Airport or 0B5 for Turners Falls Airport. Private airfields, on the other hand, are given four-character identifiers, such as 1CA9 for the Los Angeles County Fire Department Heliport or 3CL4 for Pasadena Police Heliport.
Two-letter, two-digit identifiers are assigned to private-use landing facilities that do not meet the requirements for three-character assignments. These codes are keyed by the two-letter Post Office or supplemental abbreviation of the associated state. For example, 89CA indicates California, though this is more of a guideline than a rule.
It's worth noting that the FAA's coding system has evolved over time, and not all assigned identifiers are consistent with the current encoding rules or distinct between the US and Canada. To ensure safety and reduce ambiguity, many "legacy" codes have been retained, and the FAA regularly publishes detailed listings of all the codes it administers.
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Internal Russian codes
Russia has 16 large airports, 187 medium airports, and about 234 small airports. The country code for Russia is RU or RUS. Airports in Russia have both IATA and ICAO codes.
Some minor airports in Russia, such as Omsukchan Airport, do not have IATA codes. Instead, they use internal Russian codes for booking. Flights to these airports cannot be booked through international air booking systems, and luggage cannot be transferred there from international flights. Consequently, they must be booked through the airline or a domestic booking system.
IATA airport codes are three-letter geocode identifiers for airports, cities, and metropolitan areas worldwide. They are defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and published semi-annually in the IATA Airline Coding Directory.
ICAO codes are also used in Russia. ICAO is an acronym for the International Civil Aviation Organization, which assigns four-letter codes to identify airports and airfields internationally.
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Railway station codes
The UK railway system uses a variety of codes to identify stations, including CRS, NLC, TIPLOC, and STANOX codes. These codes are used for various purposes, such as reservations, train planning, and accounting.
CRS or Computer Reservation System codes were introduced in 1979 to enable station-based seat reservations. These codes are typically three characters long, such as VIC for London Victoria, CDF for Cardiff Central, and GLQ for Glasgow Queen Street.
NLC codes are used by booking offices and can be identified by their ending of '00'. For example, Swindon is 333300, but booking clerks refer to it as 3333.
TIPLOC codes are used by train planners to identify arrival and departure times for specific locations. These codes are limited to seven characters and do not necessarily refer to locations served by rail.
STANOX codes are used in the Total Operations Processing System (TOPS) and are meant to be unique siding location numbers. However, it is common to find multiple locations sharing the same STANOX code. STANOX codes can also be modified by adding an asterisk (*), further complicating their identification.
While not a standard code, UK train stations also use abbreviations based on their names, such as WEE for Weeley, POO for Poole, and PLM for Plumley. These abbreviations are often used in ticket bookings and journey planning.
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ICAO codes
ICAO airport codes are distributed by region and country, with the first one or two letters of the code indicating the country or large region, and the remaining letters identifying the airport. For example, Heathrow Airport in London has the ICAO code EGLL, with 'EG' reflecting that it is based in the United Kingdom.
Some airports have two ICAO codes, usually when the airport is shared by civilian and military users. Frankfurt Airport in Frankfurt, Germany, for instance, has been assigned the ICAO code EDDF, while the Rhein-Main Air Base was assigned the ICAO code EDAF until its closure.
There are a few exceptions to the regional structure of the ICAO code for political or administrative reasons. For example, RAF Mount Pleasant airbase in the Falkland Islands is assigned the ICAO code EGYP as if it were in the United Kingdom, while the nearby civilian Port Stanley Airport is assigned SFAL, consistent with South America.
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Frequently asked questions
Airport codes are unique three-letter geocodes used to identify airports, cities with one or more airports, and metropolitan areas with multiple airports.
YYZ for Toronto Pearson, YUL for Montréal–Trudeau, YYC for Calgary International Airport, and YVR for Vancouver International Airport.
Airport codes are determined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The assignment of these codes is governed by IATA Resolution 763 and administered by IATA's headquarters in Montreal, Canada.
