An IATA airport code, also known as an IATA location identifier, IATA station code, or simply a location identifier, is a unique three-letter geocode designating many

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

s, cities (with one or more airports) and

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

s (cities with more than one airport) around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The characters prominently displayed on baggage tags attached at airport check-in desks are an example of a way these codes are used. The assignment of these codes is governed by IATA Resolution 763, and it is administered by the IATA's headquarters in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Canada. The codes are published semi-annually in the IATA Airline Coding Directory. IATA provides codes for airport handling entities, and for certain railway stations. Alphabetical lists of airports sorted by IATA code are available. A list of railway station codes, shared in agreements between airlines and rail lines such as

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...

, and , is available. However, many railway administrations have their own list of codes for their stations, such as Amtrak station codes.

History

Airport codes arose out of the convenience that the practice brought pilots for location identification in the 1930s. Initially, pilots in the United States used the two-letter code from the

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...

(NWS) for identifying cities. This system became unmanageable for cities and towns without an NWS identifier, and the use of two letters allowed only a few hundred combinations; a three-letter system of airport codes was implemented. This system allowed for 17,576 permutations, assuming all letters can be used in conjunction with each other.

Naming conventions

National policies

United States

Since the U.S. Navy reserved "N" codes, and to prevent confusion with

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

broadcast call signs Broadcast call signs are call signs assigned as unique identifiers to radio stations and television stations. While broadcast radio stations will often brand management, brand themselves with plain-text names, identities such as "cool jazz, cool ...

, which begin with "W" or "K", the airports of certain U.S. cities whose name begins with one of these letters had to adopt "irregular" airport codes: * EWR for

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

* HVN for

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

* ORF for

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

* EYW for

Key West, Florida Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Islan ...

* OME for

Nome, Alaska Nome (; , , also ''Sitŋazuaq'', ''Siqnazuaq'') is a city in the Nome Census Area, Alaska, Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough, Alaska, Unorganized Borough of the US state of Alaska. The city is located on the southern Seward Peninsula c ...

* BNA for

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

(whose airport's original name was ''Berry Field'') * APC for Napa, California. * ILM for

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

This practice is not followed outside the United States: *

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

is KUL *

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

is WAW *

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

is NAP In addition, since three letter codes starting with Q are widely used in radio communication, cities whose name begins with "Q" also had to find alternate codes, as in the case of: * Qiqihar ( NDG) *

Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...

( UET) *

Quito Quito (; ), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, P ...

( UIO) *

Quimper Quimper (, ; ; or ) is a Communes of France, commune and Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Finistère Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in northwestern France. Administration Quimper is the ...

( UIP) Even this practice is not followed universally. For instance Owerri in Nigeria uses the code QOW. IATA codes should not be confused with the FAA identifiers of U.S. airports. Most FAA identifiers agree with the corresponding IATA codes, but some do not, such as

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

, whose FAA identifier is GSN and its IATA code is SPN, and some coincide with IATA codes of non-U.S. airports.

Canada

Canada's unusual codes—which bear little to no similarity with any conventional abbreviation to the city's name—such as YUL in

Montréal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, and YYZ in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, originated from the two-letter codes used to identify weather reporting stations in the 1930s. The letters preceding the two-letter code follow the following format: * "Y" – Indicating "yes", this letter was used when the station shared its location with an airport. * "W" – When the weather-reporting station shared its location with no airport, this letter hinted at "Without". * "U" – This letter was used when the station was located together with a non-directional beacon (NDB). * "X" – Suggesting that the last two letters of a code were in use by a Canadian airport, this letter was put in place. * "Z" – This letter indicated that an airport code had been used for the identification of an airport in the U.S. Most large airports in Canada have codes that begin with the letter "Y", although not all "Y" codes are Canadian (for example, YUM for

Yuma, Arizona Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 95,548 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 census population of 93,064. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, Metropolitan ...

, and YNT for Yantai, China), and not all Canadian airports start with the letter "Y" (for example, ZBF for

Bathurst, New Brunswick Bathurst () is a city in northern New Brunswick with a population of 12,157 and the 4th largest metropolitan area in New Brunswick as defined by Census Canada with a population of 31,387 as of 2021. The City of Bathurst overlooks Nepisiguit Ba ...

). Many Canadian airports have a code that starts with W, X or Z, but none of these are major airports. When the Canadian transcontinental railroads were built, each station was assigned its own two-letter

Morse code Morse code is a telecommunications method which Character encoding, encodes Written language, text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code i ...

: * VR for

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

* TZ for

* QB for

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

* WG for

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

* SJ for Saint John * YC for

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

* OW for

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

* EG for

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

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 the front of the code, meaning "Yes" to indicate it had a weather station or some other letter to indicate it did not. When international codes were created in cooperation with the United States, because "Y" was seldom used in the United States, 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. The result is that most major Canadian airport codes start with "Y" followed by two letters in the city's name (for example, YOW for Ottawa, YWG for Winnipeg, YYC for Calgary, or YVR for Vancouver), whereas other Canadian airports append the two-letter code of the radio beacons that were the closest to the actual airport, such as YQX in Gander or YXS in Prince George. Four of the ten provincial capital airports in Canada have ended up with codes beginning with YY, including: * YYZ for

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

* YYJ for

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

* YYT for St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador * YYG for Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Canada's largest airport is YYZ for Toronto Pearson (as YTZ was already allocated to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, the airport was given the station code of Malton, Mississauga, where it is located). YUL is used for Montréal–Trudeau (UL was the ID code for the beacon in the city of Kirkland. While these codes make it difficult for the public to associate them with a particular Canadian city, some codes have become popular in usage despite their cryptic nature, particularly at the largest airports. Toronto's code has entered pop culture in the form of " YYZ", a song by the rock band Rush, which utilizes the Morse code signal as a musical motif. Some airports have started using their IATA codes as

brand name A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

s, such as Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

New Zealand

Numerous New Zealand airports use codes that contain the letter Z, to distinguish them from similar airport names in other countries. Examples include HLZ for

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

, ZQN for Queenstown, and WSZ for Westport.

Naming conventions in general

Predominantly, airport codes are named after the first three letters of the city in which it is located, for instance: * AMS for Amsterdam * ATL for Atlanta * CLE for Cleveland * DEL for Delhi * IND for Indianapolis * SAN for San Diego * BER for Berlin * GLA for Glasgow * MEX for Mexico City * DEN for Denver * IST for Istanbul *

SIN In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered ...

for Singapore * HAN for Hanoi * AUS for Austin The code may also be a combination of the letters in its name, such as: * ALA for

Almaty Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains ...

(formerly known as Alma-Ata) * BLR for Bengaluru * ORK for Cork * EWR for Newark * GDL for Guadalajara * JNB for Johannesburg * HKG for Hong Kong * ILZ for Žilina (but with rearranged letters) * SLC for Salt Lake City * WAW for Warsaw * PQC for Phu Quoc Sometimes the airport code reflects pronunciation, rather than spelling, namely: * NAN, which reflects the pronunciation of "Nadi" as in Fijian, where "d" is realized as the prenasalized stop For many reasons, some airport codes do not fit the normal scheme described above. Some airports, for example, cross several municipalities or regions, and therefore, use codes derived from some of their letters, resulting in: * DFW for Dallas/Fort Worth * DTW for Detroit–Wayne County * LBA for Leeds–Bradford (Airport) * MSP for Minneapolis–Saint Paul * RDU for Raleigh–Durham Other airports—particularly those serving cities with multiple airports—have codes derived from the name of the airport itself, for instance: * JFK for New York's John F. Kennedy * LHR for London's Heathrow Airport * CDG for Paris's Charles de Gaulle (see below) This is also true with some cities with a single airport (even if there is more than one airport in the metropolitan area of said city), such as BDL for

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

's Bradley International Airport or Baltimore's BWI, for Baltimore/Washington International Airport; however, the latter also serves Washington, D.C., alongside Dulles International Airport (IAD, for International Airport Dulles) and

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport in Arlington County, Virginia, United States, from Washington, D.C. The closest airport to the nation's capital, it is one of two airports owned by the federal government and ope ...

(DCA, for District of Columbia Airport). The code also sometimes comes from the airport's former name, such as Orlando International Airport's MCO (for McCoy Air Force Base), or Chicago's

O'Hare International Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport is the primary international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, United States, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Chicago Loop, Loop business district. The airport is ope ...

, which is coded ORD for its original name: Orchard Field. In rare cases, the code comes from the airport's unofficial name, such as Kahului Airport's OGG (for local aviation pioneer Jimmy Hogg).

Cities with multiple commercial airports

In large metropolitan areas, airport codes are often named after the airport itself instead of the city it serves, while another code is reserved which refers to the city itself which can be used to search for flights to any of its airports. For instance: *

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

(BJS) – Capital (PEK) and Daxing (PKX) *

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...

(BHZ) – Confins (CNF) and Pampulha (PLU) *

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

(BUH) – Otopeni (OTP) is named after the town of Otopeni where the airport is located, while the city also has a business airport inside the city limits named Băneasa (BBU). *

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

(BUE) – Ezeiza (EZE) is named after the suburb in Ezeiza Partido where the airport is located, while

Aeroparque Jorge Newbery Jorge Newbery Airfield , commonly known as Aeroparque, is an international airport northwest of Buenos Aires Central Business District, downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina. The airport covers an area of and is operated by ''Aeropuertos Argentina ...

(AEP) is in the city proper. *

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

(CHI) – O'Hare (ORD), named after Orchard Field, the airport's former name, Midway (MDW), and Rockford (RFD). *

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

(JKT) – Soekarno–Hatta (CGK) is named after Cengkareng, the district in which the airport is located, while the city also has another airport, Halim Perdanakusuma (HLP). JKT used to refer to the city's former airport, Kemayoran Airport, which closed down in the mid-1980s. *

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

(LON) – Heathrow (LHR), Gatwick (LGW),

City A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

(LCY), Stansted (STN), Luton (LTN), and Southend (SEN) *

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

(MIL) – Malpensa (MXP), Linate (LIN), and Orio al Serio (BGY) *

(YMQ) – Trudeau (YUL), Mirabel (YMX), and Metropolitan (YHU) *

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

(MOW) – Sheremetyevo (SVO), Domodedovo (DME), Vnukovo (VKO), Zhukovsky (ZIA), business airport Ostafyevo (OSF), and military air base Chkalovsky (CKL) *

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

(NYC) – John F. Kennedy (JFK, formerly Idlewild (IDL)), LaGuardia (LGA), and Newark (EWR) *

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

(OSA) – Itami (ITM, formerly OSA), Kansai (KIX), and

Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

(UKB) *

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

(PAR) – Orly (ORY),

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

(CDG), Le Bourget (LBG), and Beauvais (BVA) *

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

(RIO) – Galeão (GIG) and Santos Dumont (SDU) *

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

(ROM) – Fiumicino (FCO) and Ciampino (CIA) *

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

(SAO) –

Congonhas Congonhas (Congonhas do Campo until 1948) is a historical Brazilian city located in the state of Minas Gerais. It is situated south from Belo Horizonte, the capital of state of Minas Gerais, by the highway BR-040. As of 2020, the city had a popu ...

(CGH), Guarulhos (GRU), and

Campinas Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in São Paulo (state), São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's popul ...

(VCP) *

Sapporo is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...

(SPK) – Chitose (CTS) and Okadama (OKD) *

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

(SEL) –

Incheon Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...

(ICN) and

Gimpo Gimpo (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It borders Incheon, with which it shares the South Korean side of the Han River (Korea), Han River estuary, as well as Seoul and the lesser cities o ...

(GMP, formerly SEL) *

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

(STO) – Arlanda (ARN), Bromma (BMA), Nyköping–Skavsta (NYO), and

Västerås Västerås () is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Mälaren, Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 158,653, over 100,000 mo ...

(VST) *

Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...

(TCI) – Tenerife North (TFN) and Tenerife South (TFS) *

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

(TYO) – Haneda (HND, formerly TYO) and Narita (NRT) *

(YTO) – Pearson (YYZ), Billy Bishop (YTZ),

(YHM), and Waterloo (YKF) * Washington, D.C. (WAS) – Dulles (IAD), Reagan (DCA), and Baltimore–Washington (BWI) Or using a code for the city in one of the major airports and then assigning another code to another airport: *

(ALA) – Self-named (ALA) and Boraldai (BXJ) *

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

(BKK) – Suvarnabhumi (BKK) and Don Mueang (DMK, formerly BKK) *

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

(BFS) – International (BFS) and

George Best George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional association football, footballer who played as a winger (association football), winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United F.C., Manchester Un ...

(BHD) *

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

(BER) – Self-named (BER). The city also previously had three airports, Tempelhof (THF), Schönefeld (SXF) and Tegel (TXL), with THF and TXL both now closed. The former Berlin Schönefeld Airport was absorbed into Berlin Brandenburg Airport, with the old Schönefeld terminal becoming ''Terminal 5''. *

Chengdu Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...

(CTU) – Shuangliu (CTU), Tianfu (TFU), and Huaizhou (HZU; zh) *

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

(CMB) – Bandaranaike International Airport, Bandaranaike (CMB) and Ratmalana Airport, Ratmalana (RML) * Dakar (DKR) – Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport, Senghor (DKR) and Blaise Diagne International Airport, Diass (DSS) * Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW) – Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Self-named (DFW), Dallas Love Field, Love Field (DAL), Fort Worth Meacham International Airport, Meacham (FTW), Fort Worth Alliance Airport, Alliance (AFW), and Addison Airport, Addison (ADS) * Dubai (DXB) – Dubai International Airport, Self-named (DXB) and Al Maktoum International Airport, Al Maktoum (DWC) * Goa (GOI) – Dabolim Airport (GOI) and Manohar International Airport (GOX) * Glasgow (GLA) – Glasgow Airport, International (GLA) and Glasgow Prestwick Airport, Prestwick (PIK) * Greater Houston, Houston (HOU) – William P. Hobby Airport, Hobby (HOU), George Bush Intercontinental Airport, George Bush Intercontinental (IAH), and Ellington Airport (Texas), Ellington (EFD) * Istanbul (IST) – Istanbul Airport, Self-named (IST), Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, Sabiha Gökçen (SAW), and Istanbul Atatürk Airport, Atatürk (ISL, formerly IST) * Johannesburg (JNB) – O. R. Tambo International Airport, O. R. Tambo (formerly Jan Smuts) (JNB) and Lanseria International Airport, Lanseria (HLA) * Greater Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Sepang (KUL) and Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Subang (SZB, formerly KUL) * Kyiv metropolitan area, Kyiv (IEV) – Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany), Zhuliany (IEV) and Boryspil International Airport, Boryspil (KBP) * Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles (LAX) – Los Angeles International Airport, Self-named (LAX), San Bernardino International Airport, San Bernardino (SBD), Ontario International Airport, Ontario (ONT), John Wayne Airport, Orange County (SNA), Van Nuys Airport, Van Nuys (VNY), Palmdale Regional Airport, Palmdale (PMD), Long Beach Airport, Long Beach (LGB), and Hollywood Burbank Airport, Burbank (BUR) * Medellín (MDE) – José María Córdova International Airport, José María Córdova (MDE) and Olaya Herrera Airport, Olaya Herrera (EOH) * Mexico City (MEX) – Mexico City International Airport, Self-named (MEX) and Felipe Ángeles International Airport, Felipe Ángeles (NLU) * Melbourne (MEL) – Melbourne Airport, Tullamarine (MEL), Essendon Airport, Essendon (MEB), and Avalon Airport, Avalon (AVV) * Miami metropolitan area, Miami (MIA) – Miami International Airport, Self-named (MIA), Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Fort Lauderdale (FLL), and Palm Beach International Airport, West Palm Beach (PBI) * Chūkyō metropolitan area, Nagoya (NGO) – Chubu Centrair International Airport, Centrair (NGO) and Nagoya Airfield, Komaki (NKM, formerly NGO) * San Diego – San Diego International Airport, Self-named (SAN) and Tijuana International Airport, Tijuana (TIJ). TIJ is physically located in Tijuana, Mexico, but offers access directly to and from the US via the Cross Border Xpress. * San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco (SFO) – San Francisco International Airport, Self-named (SFO), Oakland International Airport, Oakland (OAK), San Jose International Airport, San Jose–Mineta (SJC), and Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport, Sonoma–Schulz (STS) * Seattle metropolitan area, Seattle (SEA) – Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, Tacoma (Sea–Tac) (SEA), Boeing Field (BFI), and Paine Field (PAE) * Shanghai (SHA) – Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Pudong (PVG) and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, Hongqiao (SHA) * Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, Taipei (TPE) – Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan (formerly Chiang Kai-shek) (TPE) and Taipei Songshan Airport, Songshan (TSA, formerly TPE) * Tehran (THR) – Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, Imam Khomeini (IKA) and Mehrabad International Airport, Mehrabad (THR) When different cities with the same name each have an airport, they need to be assigned different codes. Examples include: * Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) is in Alajuela Province, Alajuela, serving the capital San José, Costa Rica, San José de Costa Rica. While Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) is in San Jose, California, the United States. * Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) is in Birmingham, Alabama, the United States and Birmingham Airport (BHX) is in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom. * Portland International Jetport (PWM) is in Portland, Maine, while Portland International Airport (PDX) is in Portland, Oregon. * Manchester Airport (MAN) is in Manchester, England, United Kingdom, while Manchester–Boston Regional Airport, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) is in Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester, New Hampshire, United States. * Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL) is in Santiago, Chile; while Antonio Maceo Airport (SCU) is in Santiago de Cuba, Santiago, Cuba; Santiago–Rosalía de Castro Airport (SCQ) is in Santiago de Compostela, Spain; and Cibao International Airport (STI) serves Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. Sometimes, a new airport is built, replacing the old one, leaving the city's new "major" airport (or the only remaining airport) code to no longer correspond with the city's name. The original airport in Nashville, Tennessee, was built in 1936 as part of the Works Progress Administration and called Berry Field with the designation, BNA. A new facility known as Nashville International Airport was built in 1987 but still uses BNA. This is in conjunction to rules aimed to avoid confusion that seem to apply in the United States, which state that "the first and second letters or second and third letters of an identifier may not be duplicated with less than 200 nautical miles separation." Thus, Washington, D.C. area's three airports all have radically different codes: IAD for Washington Dulles International Airport, Washington–Dulles, DCA for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington–Reagan (District of Columbia Airport), and BWI for Baltimore Airport, Baltimore (Baltimore–Washington International, formerly BAL). Since HOU is used for William P. Hobby Airport, the new Houston–Intercontinental became IAH. The code BKK was originally assigned to Don Mueang International Airport, Bangkok–Don Mueang and was later transferred to Suvarnabhumi Airport, while the former adopted DMK. The code ISK was originally assigned to Gandhinagar Airport (Nashik's old airport) and later on transferred to Nashik Airport, Ozar Airport (Nashik's current airport). Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, Shanghai–Hongqiao retained the code SHA, while the newer Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai–Pudong adopted PVG. The opposite was true for Berlin: the airport Berlin Tegel Airport, Berlin–Tegel used the code TXL, while its smaller counterpart Berlin Schönefeld Airport, Berlin–Schönefeld used SXF; the Berlin Brandenburg Airport has the airport code BER, which is also part of its branding. The airports of Hamburg Airport, Hamburg (HAM) and Hannover Airport, Hannover (HAJ) are less than apart and therefore share the same first and middle letters, indicating that this rule might be followed only in Germany.

Cities or airports changing names

Many cities retain historical names in their airport codes, even after having undergone an official name/spelling/transliteration change: * In Angola: Sumbe Airport, NDD for Sumbe (formerly Novo Redondo), Albano Machado Airport, NOV for Huambo (formerly Nova Lisboa), Chitato Airport, PGI for Chitato (formerly Portugália), Saurimo Airport, VHC for Saurimo (formerly Henrique de Carvalho), Lubango Airport, SDD for Lubango (formerly Sá da Bandeira), Menongue Airport, SPP for Menongue (formerly Serpa Pinto), and Joaquim Kapango Airport, SVP for Cuíto (formerly Silva Porto) * In Armenia: Shirak Airport, LWN for Gyumri (formerly Leninakan) * In Azerbaijan: Ganja International Airport, KVD for Ganja, Azerbaijan, Ganja (formerly Kirovabad) * In Bangladesh: Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, DAC for Dhaka (formerly Dacca) * In Cambodia: Sihanouk International Airport, KOS for Sihanoukville (city), Sihanoukville (formerly Kampong Som) * In Canada: Iqaluit Airport, YFB for Iqaluit (formerly Frobisher Bay), YHU for MET – Montreal Metropolitan Airport (formerly Montréal/Saint-Hubert Airport) * In China: Beijing Capital International Airport, PEK for Beijing (formerly Peking), Tianjin Binhai International Airport, TSN for Tianjin (formerly Tientsin), Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, CKG for Chongqing (formerly Chungking), Nanjing Lukou International Airport, NKG for Nanjing (formerly Nanking), Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport, TNA for Jinan (formerly Tsinan), Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport, TAO for Qingdao (formerly Tsingtao), Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, CTU for

(formerly Chengtu), Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport, KWE for Guiyang (formerly Kweiyang), Xi'an Xiguan Airport, SIA for Xi'an (formerly Sian), and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, CAN for Guangzhou (formerly Canton). The older IATA codes follow Chinese postal romanization, introduced in 1906, officially abolished in 1964 and in use well into the 1980s, while gradually superseded by Pinyin. ** Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport, DYG for Zhangjiajie (formerly Dayong; a genuine change in city name, rather than just a change of romanization) * In Czech Republic, Czechia: Holešov Airport, GTW for Holešov Airport serving Zlín (formerly Gottwaldov) * In the Democratic Republic of Congo: Ilebo Airport, PFR for Ilebo (formerly Port-Francqui) * In Fiji: Malolo Lailai Airport, PTF for Malolo Lailai (formerly Plantation Island, Fiji) * In Greenland: most airports, including Kangerlussuaq Airport, SFJ for Kangerlussuaq (formerly Søndre Strømfjord), Nuuk Airport, GOH for Nuuk (formerly Godthåb) and Ilulissat Airport, JAV for Ilulissat (Jacobshavn) * In India: Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, BOM for Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, CCU for Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), Chennai International Airport, MAA for Chennai (formerly Madras), and Kannur International Airport, CNN for Kannur (formerly Cannanore) * In Indonesia: Radin Inten II Airport, TKG for Bandar Lampung (formerly Tanjung Karang), Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport, UPG for Makassar (formerly Ujung Pandang). In addition, when the Enhanced Indonesian Spelling System was introduced in 1972, a few older IATA codes retained the previous spelling: Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport, BTJ for Banda Aceh (formerly Banda Atjeh), Sentani International Airport, DJJ for Jayapura (formerly Djajapura), and Adisucipto International Airport, JOG for Yogyakarta (formerly Jogjakarta). * In Kazakhstan: Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport, NQZ for Astana (formerly Nur-Sultan and Tselinograd (TSE)), Aktau Airport, SCO for Aktau (formerly Shevchenko), Atyrau Airport, GUW for Atyrau (formerly Guryev), Kokshetau Airport, KOV for Kokshetau (formerly Kokchetav), Taraz Airport, DMB for Taraz (formerly Dzhambyl), Semey Airport, PLX for Semey (formerly Semipalatinsk), Shymkent Airport, CIT for Shymkent (formerly Chimkent), and Zhezkazgan Airport, DZN for Jezkazgan (formerly Dzhezkazgan) * In Kyrgyzstan: Manas International Airport, FRU for Bishkek (formerly Frunze) * In Madagascar: Arrachart Airport, DIE for Antsiranana (formerly Diego-Suarez), Port Bergé Airport, WPB for Boriziny (formerly Port Bergé) * In Moldova: Chișinău International Airport, RMO for Chișinău (formerly Kishinev (KIV)) * In Montenegro: Podgorica Airport, TGD for Podgorica (formerly Titograd) * In Mozambique: Xai-Xai Airport, VJB for Xai-Xai (formerly João Belo), Chimoio Airport, VPY for Chimoio (formerly Vila Pery), Cuamba Airport, FXO for Cuamba (formerly Nova Freixo), and Chokwe Airport, TGS for Chokwe, Mozambique, Chokwe (formerly Vila Trigo de Morais) * In Myanmar: Yangon International Airport, RGN for Yangon (formerly Rangoon), Thandwe Airport, SNW for Thandwe (formerly Sandoway), and Dawei Airport, TVY for Dawei (formerly Tavoy) * In Pakistan: Faisalabad International Airport, LYP for Faisalabad when the city changed its name from Lyallpur to Faisalabad in honour of the Faisal of Saudi Arabia, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. * In Russia: Pulkovo Airport, LED for St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad), Strigino International Airport, GOJ for Nizhny Novgorod (formerly Gorky), Koltsovo Airport, SVX for Yekaterinburg (formerly Sverdlovsk), Kurumoch International Airport, KUF for Samara, Russia, Samara (formerly Kuybyshev), Beslan Airport, OGZ for Vladikavkaz (formerly Ordzhonikidze), and Migalovo Air Base, KLD for Tver (formerly Kalinin) and others * In South Africa: Nelspruit Airport, NLP for Mbombela (formerly Nelspruit), Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport, PLZ for Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), and Polokwane International Airport, PTG for Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg) * In South Korea: Gangneung Air Base, KAG for Gangneung (formerly Kangnung), Gimhae International Airport, PUS for Busan (formerly Pusan), and Daegu International Airport, TAE for Daegu (formerly Taegu) * In Tajikistan: Khujand Airport, LBD for Khujand (formerly Leninabad) * In Turkmenistan: Turkmenbashi International Airport, KRW for Türkmenbaşy, Turkmenistan, Türkmenbaşy (formerly Krasnovodsk), Turkmenabat Airport, CRZ for Türkmenabat (formerly Chardzhev), and Daşoguz Airport, TAZ for Daşoguz (formerly Tashauz) * In Ukraine: Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany), IEV for Kyiv (formerly Kiev), Luhansk International Airport, VSG for Luhansk (formerly Voroshilovgrad), Kropyvnytskyi Airport, KGO for Kropyvnytskyi (formerly Kirovograd), Lviv Danylo Halytskyi International Airport, LWO for Lviv, Ukraine, Lviv (formerly Lwów while part of Poland until 1939, and still called Lvov in Russian), and Ivano-Frankivsk International Airport, IFO for Ivano-Frankivsk (in Soviet times spelt in Russian as Ivano-Frankovsk); * In Vietnam: Tan Son Nhat International Airport, SGN for Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) * In Western Sahara: Dakhla Airport, VIL for Dakhla, Western Sahara, Dakhla (formerly Villa Cisneros) Some airport codes are based on previous names associated with a present airport, often with a military heritage. These include: * Chicago's O'Hare, which is assigned ORD based on its old name of Orchard Field. It was expanded and renamed O'Hare in the mid-1950s. * Rickenbacker International Airport uses LCK, for its former name of Lockbourne Air Force Base. *Travis Air Force Base uses SUU, for its former name of Fairfield-Suisun Army Air Base. * North Texas Regional Airport uses PNX, for its former name of Perrin Air Force Station. * Fresno Yosemite International Airport uses the code FAT, derived from a previous name of the airport, Fresno Air Terminal. * Orlando International Airport was founded as Orlando Army Air Field #2 but uses MCO for having been renamed McCoy Air Force Base in 1959 in honor of a wing commander who crashed at the field in 1958. It was converted in the early 1960s to joint civilian/military use and renamed Orlando Jetport at McCoy, then renamed Orlando International Airport in the early 1980s. * Spokane International Airport was so named in 1960 but goes by GEG because it was built on the former Geiger Field, renamed in 1941 for Major Harold Geiger when the US Army acquired it. * Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport was originally named Moisant Field after daredevil aviator John Moisant, who died in 1910 in an airplane crash on agricultural land where the airport is now located. Its IATA code MSY was derived from Moisant Stock Yards, as Lakefront Airport retained the code NEW. * Lehigh Valley International Airport uses ABE, for its former name of Allentown, Pennsylvania, Allentown–Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Bethlehem–Easton, Pennsylvania, Easton International Airport. * William R. Fairchild International Airport uses CLM, for its former name of Clallam County Municipal Landing Field. * Chicago Executive Airport uses PWK, for its former name, Palwaukee Municipal Airport (which was derived from its location on Palatine Road and Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, Milwaukee Avenue). * Dallas Executive Airport used RBD, for its former name, Redbird Airport. * TSTC Waco Airport uses CNW, as it was formerly James Connally Air Force Base, Connally Air Force Base. * Glacier Park International Airport uses FCA, for its former name Flathead County Airport. Some airports are named for an administrative division or nearby city, rather than the one they are located in: * Juan Santamaría International Airport is located in Alajuela Province, Alajuela province, but since it is so close to the capital city of San José, Costa Rica, the airport serves the whole Costa Rican Central Valley, Central Valley using SJO. * Grand Strand Airport uses CRE for the former municipality of Crescent Beach, South Carolina. * San Ignacio Town Airstrip, located in San Ignacio, Belize, uses CYD because it is located in the Cayo District. *

in Crystal City, Virginia uses DCA for the Washington, D.C., District of Columbia (DC) and Arlington. * Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia uses ELQ for the Al-Qassim Province (El Qassim) * Damazin Airport in Sudan uses RSS, for the nearby Roseires Dam. Other airport codes are of obscure origin, and each has its own peculiarities: * Nashville uses Nashville Airport, BNA for its former name as Berry Field, henceforth Berry Nashville Airport. * Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is Louisville International Airport, SDF for Standiford Field, its original name (Elisha David Standiford who, as a businessman and legislator, played an important role in Louisville transportation history and owned part of the land on which the airport was built.) * Knoxville uses McGhee Tyson Airport, TYS for Charles McGhee Tyson, Charles McGhee Tyson, whose family donated the land for the first airport in Knoxville * Kahului, the main gateway into Maui, uses Kahului Airport, OGG in homage to Hawaiian aviation pioneer Bertram J. Hogg * Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Australia, uses Gold Coast Airport, OOL due to its former name as Coolangatta Airport, Coolangatta, named after the suburb in which it is located * Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast, Australia, uses Sunshine Coast Airport, MCY due to its former names Maroochydore Airport and Maroochydore-Sunshine Coast Airport. It is actually located in Marcoola, Queensland, Marcoola rather than Maroochydore. * Buli Airport uses PGQ, for its location in the Pekaulang administrative division. * New River Valley Airport uses PSK for its location in Pulaski County, Virginia, Pulaski County, Virginia. * Río Amazonas Airport uses PTZ for its location in Pastaza Province, Pastaza Province. * Brackett Field uses POC, as it was named after a flying enthusiast and faculty member of nearby Pomona College, Pomona College. * Yan'an Nanniwan Airport inherited the ENY code from the city of Yan'an's old airport, Yan'an Ershilipu Airport, Yan'an Ershilipu Airport. * Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport uses the code ECP, which when proposed was thought it could stand for "Everyone Can Party" In Asia, codes that do not correspond with their city's names include Niigata (city), Niigata's Niigata Airport, KIJ, Nanchang's Nanchang Airport, KHN and Pyongyang's Pyongyang International Airport, FNJ.

Multiple codes for a single airport

EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg, which serves three countries, has three airport codes: BSL, MLH, EAP. * The French part of the airport is assigned MLH, for Mulhouse, Mulhouse, France * The Swiss part of the airport is assigned BSL, for Basel, Basel, Switzerland * The Airport has a neutral code, EAP, for EuroAirport.

Airport codes using the English name of the city

Some cities have a local name in their respective language which is different from the name in English, yet the airport code represents ''only'' the English name. Examples include: * Suvarnabhumi Airport, BKK – Bangkok, Thailand () * Cairo International Airport, CAI – Cairo, Egypt () * Cologne Bonn Airport, CGN – Cologne, Germany () * Copenhagen Airport, CPH – Copenhagen, Denmark () * DEL – Delhi, India () * Dublin Airport, DUB – Dublin, Ireland () * Florence Airport, FLR – Florence, Italy () * Geneva Airport, GVA – Geneva, Switzerland () * José Martí International Airport, HAV – Havana, Cuba () * Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, LKO – Lucknow, India () * Václav Havel Airport Prague, PRG – Prague, Czechia () * Venice Marco Polo Airport, VCE – Venice, Italy () * Vienna International Airport, VIE – Vienna, Austria ()

Scarcity of codes

Due to scarcity of codes (the three-character code is used by a maximum of 17,576 airports worldwide only), some airports are given codes with letters not found in their names: *Alderney Airport, ACI for Alderney, UK *Bergen Airport, Flesland, BGO for Bergen, Norway *Da Nang International Airport, DAD for Da Nang, Vietnam *Pyongyang Sunan International Airport, FNJ for Pyongyang, North Korea *John Glenn Columbus International Airport, CMH for Columbus, Ohio, US ;Use of 'X' as a filler The use of 'X' as a filler letter is a practice to create three-letter identifiers when more straightforward options were unavailable: *Williston Basin International Airport, XWA for Williston, North Dakota, Williston, North Dakota, USA * Malmö Airport, MMX for Malmö, Malmö, Sweden * Mora–Siljan Airport, MXX for Mora–Siljan Airport, Mora–Siljan Airport, Sweden * Dubai International Airport, DXB for Dubai International Airport, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (e.g. Dublin Airport, DUB was already allocated to Dublin Airport, Dublin Airport in Ireland) * Milan Malpensa Airport, MXP for Milan Malpensa Airport, Milan Malpensa, Italy * Federico García Lorca Granada Airport, GRX for Federico García Lorca Granada Airport, Granada International Airport, Spain (e.g. GRA was already allocated to Gamarra Airport, Gamarra Airport in Colombia) * Gorom Gorom Airport, XGG for Gorom Gorom Airport, Gorom Gorom Airport, Burkina Faso * Birmingham Airport, BHX for Birmingham Airport, Birmingham Airport, United Kingdom (e.g. Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport, BHM was already allocated to Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport, Birmingham–Shuttlesworth Airport in the United States) Some airports in the United States retained their NWS (

) codes and simply appended an X at the end. Examples include: * Los Angeles International Airport, LAX for Los Angeles, Los Angeles * Portland International Airport, PDX for Portland, Oregon, Portland * Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, PHX for Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix (Note: the X does not originate from the x at the end of Phoenix but is the result of appending an X at the end of the NWS code.)

Airports without codes

A lot of minor airfields without scheduled passenger traffic have ICAO airport code, ICAO codes but not IATA codes, since the four letter codes allow a larger number of codes. IATA codes are mainly used for passenger services such as tickets, and ICAO codes by pilots. In the US, such airfields use Location identifier, FAA codes instead of ICAO. There are airports with scheduled service for which there are ICAO codes but not IATA codes, such as Nkhotakota Airport/Tangole Airport in List of airports in Malawi, Malawi or Chōfu Airport in Tokyo, Japan. There are also several minor airports in Russia (e.g., Omsukchan Airport) which lack IATA codes and instead use Location identifier, internal Russian codes for booking. Flights to these airports cannot be booked through the international air booking systems or have international luggage transferred there, and thus, they are booked instead through the airline or a domestic booking system. Several List of airports in Greenland, heliports in Greenland have 3-letter codes used internally which might be IATA codes for airports in faraway countries. There are several airports with scheduled service that have not been assigned ICAO codes that do have IATA codes, especially in the U.S. For example, several airports in Alaska have scheduled commercial service, such as Stebbins Airport, Stebbins and Nanwalek Airport, Nanwalek, which use FAA codes instead of ICAO codes. Thus, neither system completely includes all airports with scheduled service.

Use in colloquial speech

Some airports are identified in colloquial speech by their IATA code. Examples include JFK for New York-Kennedy airport, Los Angeles International Airport, LAX, Portland International Airport, PDX and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, CCU.

References

External links

* – for areas served by several airports * – relating to particular airports

IATA Airline and Airport Code Search

– includes IATA codes
OpenFlights
a freely licensed (Open Database License, ODbL) aviation data set {{DEFAULTSORT:International Air Transport Association Airport Code Geocodes International Air Transport Association, Airport code Location codes he:יאט"א#קוד יאט"א