Airport Codes Reference Directory

Overview#

Airports around the world are identified using standardized code systems that allow aviation systems, airlines, and passengers to refer to locations quickly and unambiguously.

Two systems dominate global aviation:

ICAO airport codes (four letters) used primarily for operational purposes such as air traffic control, weather reporting, and flight planning
IATA airport codes (three letters) used in passenger-facing systems such as airline reservations, baggage tags, and ticketing

Understanding how these code systems work helps explain everything from flight plans and METAR weather reports to booking systems and airport signage.

Start here → ICAO vs IATA Airport Codes Explained covers both systems in detail, including how codes are assigned and why some airports have surprising identifiers.

ICAO vs IATA — At a Glance#

Feature	ICAO Code	IATA Code
Length	4 letters	3 letters
Example	KJFK	JFK
Assigned by	ICAO	IATA
Primary use	ATC systems, flight plans, METARs	Passenger booking, baggage tags
Coverage	~13,000 locations	~9,000 airports

In many cases, the IATA code matches the last three letters of the ICAO code, but that is not a hard rule.

For example, JFK appears as:

ICAO: KJFK
IATA: JFK

Some airport codes reflect historical names, older identifiers, or legacy assignments rather than the current airport name.

For example:

ORD → Chicago O'Hare, originally Orchard Field

ICAO Regional Prefixes#

ICAO airport identifiers are organized into regional blocks. The first letter, and sometimes the first two letters, indicate a broad geographic region.

Prefix	Region	Examples
K	Contiguous United States	KJFK, KLAX, KORD
C	Canada	CYYZ, CYUL, CYVR
E	Northern Europe	EGLL (London Heathrow), EHAM (Amsterdam)
L	Southern Europe	LFPG (Paris CDG), LIRF (Rome Fiumicino)
O	Middle East	OMDB (Dubai), OEJN (Jeddah)
R	Japan / Korea	RJTT (Tokyo Haneda)
V	South & Southeast Asia	VHHH (Hong Kong), VIDP (Delhi)
Z	Mainland China	ZBAA (Beijing Capital), ZSPD (Shanghai Pudong)

These prefixes make ICAO codes especially useful in operational systems such as flight planning, weather reporting, and air traffic control.

IATA Code Patterns#

IATA airport codes are designed to be short and recognizable, which makes them easier for passengers and commercial booking systems to use.

Many are intuitive:

LAX → Los Angeles
DXB → Dubai
SIN → Singapore

Others are less obvious because they reflect older airport names or legacy assignments:

ORD → Orchard Field, the former name associated with Chicago O'Hare
YYZ → Toronto Pearson, derived from a historic radio navigation identifier

Unlike ICAO codes, IATA codes do not use geographic prefix blocks.

Where Airport Codes Appear in Practice#

Different parts of aviation use different code systems.

ICAO Codes in Operations#

ICAO codes appear in:

METAR weather reports
TAF forecasts
flight plans
NOTAMs
ATC and operational databases

Example METAR opening:

KJFK 011853Z ...

IATA Codes in Commercial Use#

IATA codes appear in:

airline booking systems
boarding passes
baggage tags
airport departure screens
GDS reservation systems

Example itinerary display:

JFK → LHR

Why Two Code Systems Exist#

ICAO and IATA serve different purposes.

ICAO focuses on operational aviation infrastructure, standardization, and safety-related systems
IATA focuses on commercial airline coordination, passenger handling, and industry distribution

Using two systems lets each one do its job well instead of forcing one code format to serve every part of aviation.

ICAO — International Civil Aviation Organization
IATA — International Air Transport Association
METAR — Meteorological Aerodrome Report
TAF — Terminal Aerodrome Forecast
NOTAM — Notice to Air Missions
ATIS — Automatic Terminal Information Service
ATC — Air Traffic Control
GDS — Global Distribution System
flight plan
codeshare
controlled airspace

Airport Codes