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An IATA airport code is a three-letter geocode used to identify airports and metropolitan areas worldwide. These codes are defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and are used for reservations, baggage, and flight planning. They are often derived from the airport's name, location, or former name, and sometimes from the city it serves. For instance, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is coded ORD for Orchard Field, its original name. In Canada, airport codes often start with a Y, indicating the presence of a weather station, followed by two letters from the city's name, like YYC for Calgary. These codes are useful for travellers looking to fly to specific airports or cities and can be found on resources like the IATA website and Airline Coding Directories.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the code | IATA airport code |
| Description | A three-letter geocode designating many airports and metropolitan areas around the world |
| Governing body | International Air Transport Association (IATA) |
| Location of headquarters | Montreal, Canada |
| Publication frequency | Semi-annual |
| Publication name | IATA Airline Coding Directory |
| Code usage | Used for airport handling entities and certain railway stations |
| Code examples | YOW for Ottawa, YWG for Winnipeg, ORD for Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, DCA for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport |
| Related codes | ICAO airport code (four-character alphanumeric code defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization) |
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What You'll Learn
IATA airport codes are three-letter geocodes
An IATA airport code is a three-letter geocode that designates many airports and metropolitan areas worldwide. IATA stands for the International Air Transport Association, which governs the assignment of these codes. The codes are published twice a year in the IATA Airline Coding Directory.
These three-letter codes are used in various ways, such as on baggage tags at airport check-in desks, and they can also be used to search for flights to specific airports or cities. The codes are often derived from the names of the airports or cities they represent, but they can also come from other sources, such as former or unofficial airport names, or even the first three letters of the city where the airport is located.
In some cases, the use of a filler letter, such as 'X', is employed to create unique identifiers when more straightforward options are unavailable. For example, Dubai's airport code is DXB because DUB was already allocated to Dublin Airport in Ireland. Similarly, some airports in the United States retained their NWS codes and simply appended an 'X' at the end, like PHX for Phoenix.
The IATA codes are particularly useful for differentiating between airports in large metropolitan areas with multiple airports, such as Washington, D.C., which has three airports with distinct codes: IAD for Washington–Dulles, DCA for Washington–Reagan, and BWI for Baltimore/Washington International Airport.
Additionally, some cities with a single airport may have their airport code named after the airport itself, while another code is reserved for the city, allowing for flexibility in flight searches. For example, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is coded ORD for its former name, Orchard Field, but the city code for Chicago is CHI.
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ICAO airport codes are four-character alphanumeric codes
ICAO, or the International Civil Aviation Organization, is a United Nations body that represents aviation authorities and focuses on international civil aviation regulations. ICAO airport codes are four-letter alphanumeric codes used for official purposes, such as air traffic control and flight plans. These codes are commonly seen within the aviation industry and on private flight-tracking services such as FlightAware. On the other hand, passengers more often see IATA codes on their tickets and luggage.
ICAO codes are distributed by region and country, with the first one or two letters indicating the country and the remaining letters identifying the airport. For example, Heathrow International Airport in London has the ICAO code EGLL, with "EG" reflecting that it is based in the United Kingdom. In contrast, IATA codes do not provide a geographic reference. For instance, LHR, representing Heathrow Airport, does not indicate its location in London, United Kingdom.
ICAO codes are sometimes updated when an airport is renamed. For example, Johannesburg Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, was formerly known as Jan Smuts International Airport, with the ICAO code FAJS. When it was renamed O. R. Tambo International Airport, its ICAO code was updated to FAOR. Some airports have two ICAO codes, usually when the airport is shared by civilian and military users. For instance, Frankfurt Airport in Frankfurt, Germany, has the ICAO code EDDF, while the now-closed Rhein-Main Air Base was assigned the ICAO code EDAF.
In the contiguous United States and Canada, many airports have ICAO codes that are simply copies of their three-letter IATA codes, with a geographical prefix added on. For example, Edmonton International Airport is referred to by both YEG and CYEG, while Washington Dulles International Airport uses IAD and KIAD. This similarity does not extend to Alaska (PAXX), Hawaii (PHXX), or U.S. territories. There are also some exceptions to the regional structure of ICAO codes for political or administrative reasons. For instance, RAF Mount Pleasant air base in the Falkland Islands has the ICAO code EGYP as if it were in the United Kingdom, while nearby civilian Port Stanley Airport uses SFAL, consistent with South America.
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Airport codes are often named after the airport itself
Airport codes are a set of three or four letters used to identify airports and, in some cases, metropolitan areas. These codes are defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and are used for reservations, baggage, and flight planning.
In large metropolitan areas, airport codes are often named after the airport itself, rather than the city it serves. This is especially true for cities with multiple airports, where each airport may have its own code. For example, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is coded ORD, which comes from its original name, Orchard Field. Similarly, Chicago's Midway Airport is coded MDW, and Rockford Airport is coded RFD.
In some cases, the code may be derived from the airport's unofficial name, such as Kahului Airport's OGG, which honours local aviation pioneer Jimmy Hogg. Other airport codes come from the airport's former name, like Orlando International Airport's MCO, which stands for McCoy Air Force Base, or Vancouver International Airport's YVR.
Some airports have even embraced their IATA codes as brand names, such as Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR). These codes are often easier to remember and promote than the full airport name, particularly for larger airports.
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Some airport codes come from the airport's former name
Airport codes are often derived from the name of the airport itself or the city it serves. However, some airport codes come from the airport's former name. For example, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) was originally called Orchard Field Airport, and its code is derived from this former name. The airport was renamed in 1949 after Edward "Butch" O'Hare, a local naval fighter pilot and Medal of Honor recipient who died in World War II. Despite the name change, the airport retained its original ORD code.
Another example is Orlando International Airport's MCO code, which stands for McCoy Air Force Base, the airport's former name. Orlando International Airport was founded as Orlando Army Air Field #2 but was renamed in 1959 after Colonel Michael N. W. McCoy, a wing commander who crashed at the field in 1958.
Fresno Yosemite International Airport uses the code FAT, derived from its previous name, Fresno Air Terminal. Similarly, Rickenbacker International Airport uses the code LCK, which comes from its former name, Lockbourne Air Force Base. North Texas Regional Airport uses the code PNX, reflecting its past as Perrin Air Force Station.
In some cases, airport codes may be derived from unofficial names. Kahului Airport's code is OGG, named after local aviation pioneer Jimmy Hogg.
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Canadian airport codes often start with 'Y'
When the Canadian government established airports, it used the existing railway codes for them as well. If the airport had a weather station, authorities added a "Y" to indicate "Yes". This was added in front of the existing radio call sign. However, in the absence of a weather station at the airport, a "W" was used to symbolize "without".
When international codes were created in cooperation with the United States, "Y" was seldom used in the US, so Canada simply used the weather station codes for its airports, changing the "Y" to a "Z" if it conflicted with an airport code already in use. As a result, most Canadian airport codes start with "Y", followed by two letters from the city's name. For example, YOW for Ottawa, YWG for Winnipeg, YYC for Calgary, or YVR for Vancouver.
There are exceptions, however. Some smaller municipal airports, heliports, and private jet runways have codes beginning with other letters of the alphabet (mostly "W", "X", or "Z"). All large-scale commercial airports will start with an IATA code of "Y". Outside of Canada, some airport codes starting with "Y" include Yakima, Washington (YKM) and Yuma, Arizona (YUM).
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has a four-digit code for each airport around the world, and aviation enthusiasts often use these four-digit codes rather than the three-digit ones. The first letter refers to a larger region, the second letter refers to a country within that larger region, and the last two letters are an abbreviation for the airport.
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Frequently asked questions
An airport code is a three-letter geocode used to identify airports and metropolitan areas worldwide.
There are two types of airport codes: IATA codes and ICAO codes. IATA codes are used for reservations and baggage, while ICAO codes are used by air traffic control for flight planning and airline operations.
You can find your home airport code by searching for your airport's three-letter code online or looking up the airport's location, as some airport codes are derived from the city or town where the airport is located.
