Sachin Walls
Airport codes are abbreviations assigned to airports worldwide. These codes are typically three letters long, such as LAX for Los Angeles, and are used for identification and brevity in the aviation industry. The use of 'X' in airport codes, such as in LAX and PDX, has a specific rationale. When airport codes were expanded from two to three letters, existing airports with two-letter codes simply added an 'X' as a filler letter to create a new three-letter code. This practice was also employed when more straightforward options were unavailable due to scarcity, as in the case of DXB for Dubai, where DUB was already allocated to Dublin Airport.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose of 'X' in airport abbreviations | Used as a filler letter to create three-letter identifiers when more straightforward options were unavailable |
| Examples | LAX for Los Angeles, PDX for Portland, PHX for Phoenix, DXB for Dubai, GRX for Granada, BHX for Birmingham |
| Other uses of 'X' in airport codes | In Canada, 'X' was used to indicate that the last two letters of a code were in use by a Canadian airport |
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What You'll Learn
- 'X' is used as a filler letter when straightforward options are unavailable
- Codes with 'X' include DXB for Dubai, GRX for Granada, BHX for Birmingham
- Codes with 'X' can be used as shorthand for the city, like LAX for Los Angeles
- Codes with 'X' can be used as slang for the city, like PDX for Portland
- Codes with 'X' can be used to differentiate between airports in different cities with the same name, like EWR for Newark
'X' is used as a filler letter when straightforward options are unavailable
The use of 'X' as an ending letter in airport codes has a few different explanations. Firstly, it is believed that the letter 'X' was added to the end of existing two-letter airport codes when they were extended to three letters. For example, Los Angeles' airport code was originally 'LA', and after the change, it became 'LAX'. Similarly, Portland's airport code changed from 'PD' to 'PDX'. This change occurred when new airports started to crop up in the 1930s, and the two-letter coding system had to be re-evaluated.
Another reason for the use of 'X' is as a filler letter. This occurs when more straightforward options are unavailable due to the scarcity of codes. For instance, Dubai's airport code is 'DXB' because 'DUB' was already allocated to Dublin Airport in Ireland. Similarly, Birmingham Airport in the UK is coded as 'BHX' because 'BHM' was already assigned to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport in the US.
In Canada, the letter 'X' was used to indicate that the last two letters of a code were in use by a Canadian airport. For example, YUL for Montreal and YYZ for Toronto. The letter ''Y' was used when the station shared its location with an airport, and 'Z' was used when it did not.
The use of 'X' in airport codes has led to some interesting slang. Some people use the airport code 'LAX' to refer to the city of Los Angeles as a whole, and similarly, 'PDX' is sometimes used when talking about the city of Portland, not just the airport.
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Codes with 'X' include DXB for Dubai, GRX for Granada, BHX for Birmingham
Airport codes, also known as IATA codes, are three-character codes used to identify airports around the world. Due to the scarcity of codes, some airports are given codes with letters that are not in their names. The letter 'X' is used as a filler letter to create three-letter identifiers when more straightforward options are unavailable.
Codes with X include DXB for Dubai International Airport, the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates. DXB is the busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic as of 2024. It is also the busiest airport for Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 movements. Emirates has its hub airport at DXB, with its own Terminal 3, which it shares with low-cost carrier Flydubai.
GRX is the airport code for Federico García Lorca Granada-Jaen Airport, serving Granada, Spain.
BHX is the code for Birmingham Airport, located in the United Kingdom. The airport is situated 7 NM (13 km; 8.1 mi) east-southeast of Birmingham's city centre and is the seventh busiest airport in the UK. It offers international flights to destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent.
In addition to being used as a filler letter, the letter 'X' in airport codes also has another specific meaning. In Canadian airport codes, 'X' is used as the last letter when the preceding two letters of the code are already in use by another airport. For example, YYZ is the code for Toronto, Canada, while ZYZ may be used for another airport.
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Codes with 'X' can be used as shorthand for the city, like LAX for Los Angeles
Airport codes are three-letter abbreviations assigned to airports worldwide. The use of 'X' in airport codes can be attributed to a few reasons. Firstly, it can be a filler letter to create three-letter identifiers when more straightforward options are unavailable. For example, Dubai's airport code is DXB because DUB was already assigned to Dublin Airport. Similarly, Birmingham Airport in the UK is BHX because BHM was already in use by Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport in the US.
Secondly, some airport codes were historically two-letter codes, and when the coding system expanded to three letters, an 'X' was appended to the end. This is seen in Los Angeles' LAX, where the original code was 'LA', and Portland's PDX, which was previously 'PD'. This practice was also observed in weather station codes, where an 'X' was added to indicate the presence of a weather station, as seen in the Canadian codes YUL for Montreal and YYZ for Toronto.
The use of 'X' in airport codes like LAX for Los Angeles has led to the adoption of these codes as shorthand for the cities themselves. While it is more common for cities without established abbreviations, it provides a convenient and colloquial way to refer to a city, especially when discussing travel plans or airport-related matters. For instance, while one might say they are travelling to Los Angeles, using "LAX" can imply a specific reference to air travel or the airport itself.
The 'X' in airport codes also serves to differentiate between airports and cities with similar names. For example, while Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport in San Jose, California, uses the code SJC, Juan Santamaría International Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, is coded as SJO. The addition of 'X' or other letters helps to disambiguate between these locations, ensuring clear and distinct identification of airports and their respective cities.
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Codes with 'X' can be used as slang for the city, like PDX for Portland
Airport codes are three-letter abbreviations assigned by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The use of the letter 'X' in airport codes is often incidental, used as a filler letter when more straightforward options are unavailable. For example, DXB for Dubai was chosen because DUB was already allocated to Dublin Airport in Ireland.
However, the 'X' in PDX, the airport code for Portland International Airport, has been adopted by locals and is widely used as slang for the city of Portland, Oregon, and not just the airport. This is not an uncommon practice, as it has been noted that it is not unusual for Canadians to refer to cities by their airport codes, such as YYZ for Toronto and YVR for Vancouver. The use of 'X' in PDX likely comes from the National Weather Service symbol for Portland, which was 'PD', with the ''X' added when IATA started assigning three-letter codes in the 1940s.
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Codes with 'X' can be used to differentiate between airports in different cities with the same name, like EWR for Newark
Airport codes are three-letter abbreviations used to identify airports around the world. These codes are especially useful for differentiating between airports in different cities with the same name. For instance, the airport code for Newark, New Jersey, is EWR, while the code for San Jose, California, is SJC, and the code for San Jose, Costa Rica, is SJO.
The use of the letter 'X' in airport codes serves multiple purposes. Firstly, it acts as a filler letter to create unique three-letter identifiers when more straightforward options are unavailable. For example, the code for Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is DXB, while the code for Dublin Airport in Ireland is DUB. The addition of 'X' in DXB distinguishes the two airports with similar names.
Secondly, some airports that previously had two-letter codes or preferred a two-letter abbreviation added an 'X' when the coding system expanded to three letters. This resulted in codes such as LAX for Los Angeles and PDX for Portland.
The letter 'X' is also used in airport codes for other specific purposes. In Canadian airport codes, 'X' indicates that the last two letters of the code are in use by a Canadian airport. For example, YYZ in Toronto indicates that the last two letters, 'YZ', are used by a Canadian airport.
Additionally, some airports in the United States retained their NWS (National Weather Service) codes and appended an 'X' at the end, as seen in the code PHX for Phoenix. However, in this case, the 'X' does not originate from adding it to the end of the city name but is a result of including it in the NWS code.
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Frequently asked questions
The use of 'X' as a filler letter is a practice to create three-letter identifiers when more straightforward options were unavailable. For example, LA became LAX and Portland's PD became PDX.
DXB was chosen as Dubai's airport code because DUB was already allocated to Dublin Airport in Ireland.
BHX was chosen as Birmingham Airport's code because BHM was already allocated to Birmingham–Shuttlesworth Airport in the United States.
GRX was chosen as Granada International Airport's code because GRA was already allocated to Gamarra Airport in Colombia.
Some sources state that PHX is the result of appending an X to the NWS (National Weather Service) code for Phoenix. Other sources state that the X does not originate from the x at the end of Phoenix.
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