International Civil Aviation Organization airport code
The ICAO (pronounced /ˌaɪˌkeɪˈoʊ/, as if "I-K-O") airport code or location indicator is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. These codes are defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization, and published in ICAO Document 7910: Location Indicators.
The ICAO codes are used by air traffic control and airline operations such as flight planning. They are not the same as the IATA codes encountered by the general public, which are used for airline timetables, reservations, and baggage handling. For example, travellers who use London's Heathrow Airport will most likely be familiar with its IATA code: LHR. They are less likely, however, to be familiar with the ICAO code: EGLL.
ICAO codes are also used to identify other locations such as weather stations, International Flight Service Stations or Area Control Centers, whether or not they are located at airports.
Contents
Structure
Unlike the IATA codes, the ICAO codes have a regional structure (they are broken up by 'sections' of the world), are not duplicated, and are comprehensive. In general, the first letter is allocated by continent and represents a country or group of countries within that continent. The second letter generally represents a country within that region, and the remaining two are used to identify each airport. The exception to this rule is larger countries that have single-letter country codes, where the remaining three letters identify the airport. In either case, ICAO codes provide geographical context unlike IATA codes. Using the earlier example as Heathrow airport, if one knows that the ICAO code for Heathrow is EGLL, then one can deduce that the airport EGNH is somewhere in the UK (it is Blackpool International Airport). On the other hand, knowing that the IATA code for Heathrow is LHR does not enable one to deduce the location of the airport LHV with any greater certainty (it is William T. Piper Memorial Airport in Pennsylvania in the United States).
In the contiguous United States and Canada, most, but not all, airports have been assigned three-letter IATA codes which are the same as their ICAO code without the leading K or C. e.g., YYC and CYYC (Calgary International Airport, Calgary, Alberta), IAD and KIAD (Washington Dulles International Airport, Chantilly, Virginia). These codes are not to be confused with radio or television call signs, even though both countries use four-letter call signs starting with those letters. However, because Alaska, Hawaii and United States territories have their own 2-letter ICAO prefix, the situation there is similar to other smaller countries and the ICAO code of their airports is typically different from its corresponding 3-letter FAA/IATA identifier. For example, Hilo International Airport (PHTO vs ITO) and Juneau International Airport (PAJN vs JNU).
In region L (Southern Europe), all available 2-letter prefixes have been exhausted and thus no additional countries can be added.
ZZZZ is a special code which is used when no ICAO code exists for the airport and is normally used in flight plans.
A list of airports, sorted by ICAO code, is available.
Prefixes
| Prefix code | Country |
|---|---|
| A - Western South Pacific | |
| AG | Solomon Islands |
| AN | Nauru |
| AY | Papua New Guinea |
| B - Iceland/Greenland and Kosovo | |
| BG | Greenland |
| BI | Iceland |
| BK | Kosovo (also LY Serbia because of disputes) |
| C - Canada | |
| C | Canada |
| D - West Africa | |
| DA | Algeria |
| DB | Benin |
| DF | Burkina Faso |
| DG | Ghana |
| DI | Côte d'Ivoire |
| DN | Nigeria |
| DR | Niger |
| DT | Tunisia |
| DX | Togolese Republic |
| E - Northern Europe | |
| EB | Belgium |
| ED | Germany (civil) |
| EE | Estonia |
| EF | Finland |
| EG | United Kingdom |
| EH | Netherlands |
| EI | Ireland |
| EK | Denmark |
| EL | Luxembourg |
| EN | Norway |
| EP | Poland |
| ES | Sweden |
| ET | Germany (military) |
| EV | Latvia |
| EY | Lithuania |
| F - Southern Africa | |
| FA | South Africa |
| FB | Botswana |
| FC | Republic of the Congo |
| FD | Swaziland |
| FE | Central African Republic |
| FG | Equatorial Guinea |
| FH | Ascension Island |
| FI | Mauritius |
| FJ | British Indian Ocean Territory |
| FK | Cameroon |
| FL | Zambia |
| FM | Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, Réunion |
| FN | Angola |
| FO | Gabon |
| FP | São Tomé and Príncipe |
| FQ | Mozambique |
| FS | Seychelles |
| FT | Chad |
| FV | Zimbabwe |
| FW | Malawi |
| FX | Lesotho |
| FY | Namibia |
| FZ | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| G - Northwestern Africa | |
| GA | Mali |
| GB | The Gambia |
| GC | Canary Islands (Spain) |
| GE | Ceuta and Melilla (Spain) |
| GF | Sierra Leone |
| GG | Guinea-Bissau |
| GL | Liberia |
| GM | Morocco |
| GO | Senegal |
| GQ | Mauritania |
| GS | Western Sahara |
| GU | Guinea |
| GV | Cape Verde |
| H - Northeastern Africa | |
| HA | Ethiopia |
| HB | Burundi |
| HC | Somalia |
| HD | Djibouti (also HF) |
| HE | Egypt |
| HF | Djibouti (also HD) |
| HH | Eritrea |
| HK | Kenya |
| HL | Libya |
| HR | Rwanda |
| HS | Sudan |
| HT | Tanzania |
| HU | Uganda |
| K - USA | |
| K | Contiguous United States of America |
| L - Southern Europe, Israel and Turkey | |
| LA | Albania |
| LB | Bulgaria |
| LC | Cyprus |
| LD | Croatia |
| LE | Spain |
| LF | France, including Saint-Pierre and Miquelon |
| LG | Greece |
| LH | Hungary |
| LI | Italy |
| LJ | Slovenia |
| LK | Czech Republic |
| LL | Israel |
| LM | Malta |
| LN | Monaco |
| LO | Austria |
| LP | Portugal, including the Azores |
| LQ | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| LR | Romania |
| LS | Switzerland |
| LT | Turkey |
| LU | Moldova |
| LV | Areas Under the Control of the Palestinian Authority |
| LW | Macedonia |
| LX | Gibraltar |
| LY | Serbia and Montenegro |
| LZ | Slovakia |
| M - Central America and Mexico | |
| MB | Turks and Caicos Islands |
| MD | Dominican Republic |
| MG | Guatemala |
| MH | Honduras |
| MK | Jamaica |
| MM | Mexico |
| MN | Nicaragua |
| MP | Panama |
| MR | Costa Rica |
| MS | El Salvador |
| MT | Haiti |
| MU | Cuba |
| MW | Cayman Islands |
| MY | Bahamas |
| MZ | Belize |
| N - South Pacific | |
| NC | Cook Islands |
| NF | Fiji, Tonga |
| NG | Kiribati (Gilbert Islands), Tuvalu |
| NI | Niue |
| NL | Wallis and Futuna |
| NS | Samoa, American Samoa |
| NT | French Polynesia |
| NV | Vanuatu |
| NW | New Caledonia |
| NZ | New Zealand, Antarctica |
| O - Southwest Asia (excluding Israel and Turkey), Afghanistan and Pakistan | |
| OA | Afghanistan |
| OB | Bahrain |
| OE | Saudi Arabia |
| OI | Iran |
| OJ | Jordan and the West Bank |
| OK | Kuwait |
| OL | Lebanon |
| OM | United Arab Emirates |
| OO | Oman |
| OP | Pakistan |
| OR | Iraq |
| OS | Syria |
| OT | Qatar |
| OY | Yemen |
| P - Eastern North Pacific | |
| PA | Alaska only |
| PB | Baker Island |
| PC | Kiribati (Canton Airfield, Phoenix Islands) |
| PF | Fort Yukon, Alaska |
| PG | Guam, Northern Marianas |
| PH | Hawaiʻi only |
| PJ | Johnston Atoll |
| PK | Marshall Islands |
| PL | Kiribati (Line Islands) |
| PM | Midway Island |
| PO | Oliktok Point, Alaska |
| PP | Alaska |
| PT | Federated States of Micronesia, Palau |
| PW | Wake Island |
| R - Western North Pacific | |
| RC | Republic of China (Taiwan) |
| RJ | Japan (most of country) |
| RK | South Korea |
| RO | Japan (Okinawa Prefecture and Yoron) |
| RP | Philippines |
| S - South America | |
| SA | Argentina |
| SB | Brazil (also SD, SI, SJ, SN, SS and SW) |
| SC | Chile |
| SD | Brazil (also SB, SI, SJ, SN, SS and SW) |
| SE | Ecuador |
| SF | Falkland Islands |
| SG | Paraguay |
| SI | Brazil (also SB, SD, SJ, SN, SS and SW) |
| SJ | Brazil (also SB, SD, SI, SN, SS and SW) |
| SK | Colombia |
| SL | Bolivia |
| SM | Suriname |
| SN | Brazil (also SB, SD, SI, SJ, SS and SW) |
| SO | French Guiana |
| SP | Peru |
| SS | Brazil (also SB, SD, SI, SJ, SN and SW) |
| SU | Uruguay |
| SV | Venezuela |
| SW | Brazil (also SB, SD, SI, SJ, SN and SS) |
| SY | Guyana |
| T - Caribbean | |
| TA | Antigua and Barbuda |
| TB | Barbados |
| TD | Dominica |
| TF | Guadeloupe |
| TG | Grenada |
| TI | U.S. Virgin Islands |
| TJ | Puerto Rico |
| TK | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| TL | Saint Lucia |
| TN | Netherlands Antilles, Aruba |
| TQ | Anguilla |
| TR | Montserrat |
| TT | Trinidad and Tobago |
| TU | British Virgin Islands |
| TV | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| TX | Bermuda |
| U - Russia and former Soviet States | |
| U | Russia (except UA, UB, UD, UG, UK, UM and UT) |
| UA | Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan |
| UB | Azerbaijan |
| UD | Armenia |
| UG | Georgia |
| UK | Ukraine |
| UM | Belarus |
| UT | Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan |
| V - South Asia (except Afghanistan and Pakistan) and mainland Southeast Asia | |
| VA | India (West Zone, Mumbai Center) |
| VC | Sri Lanka |
| VD | Cambodia |
| VE | India (East Zone, Kolkata Center) |
| VG | Bangladesh |
| VH | Hong Kong, China |
| VI | India (North Zone, Delhi Center) |
| VL | Laos |
| VM | Macau, China |
| VN | Nepal |
| VO | India (South Zone, Chennai Center) |
| VQ | Bhutan |
| VR | Maldives |
| VT | Thailand |
| VV | Vietnam |
| VY | Myanmar |
| W - Maritime Southeast Asia (except the Philippines) | |
| WA | Indonesia (also WI, WQ and WR) |
| WB | Malaysia (also WM), Brunei |
| WI | Indonesia (also WA, WQ and WR) |
| WM | Malaysia (also WB) |
| WP | Timor-Leste |
| WQ | Indonesia (also WA, WI and WR) |
| WR | Indonesia (also WA, WI and WQ) |
| WS | Singapore |
| Y - Australia | |
| Y | Australia |
| Z - China, Mongolia and North Korea | |
| Z | China (except ZK and ZM) |
| ZK | North Korea |
| ZM | Mongolia |
See also
- Airspace class
- Class A airport
- Geocode
- IATA airport code
- ICAO airline designators - A list of codes
- List of airports by IATA code
- List of airports by ICAO code
External links
- ICAO On-line Publications Purchasing (official site)
- International Civil Aviation Organization (official site)
- ICAO airport codes worldwide, by country
