ICAO airport code

The ICAO airport code (IPA pronunciation: ) is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. These codes are defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization. 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. 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.

Unlike the IATA codes, the ICAO codes have a regional structure, 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 are larger countries that have single-letter country codes, where the remaining three letters identify the airport.

In the contiguous United States and Canada, most 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 (Calgary International Airport, Calgary, Alberta) and CYYC, IAD (Dulles International Airport, Chantilly, Virginia) and KIAD. These codes are not to be confused with radio call signs, even though both countries use four-letter call signs starting with those letters.

However, because Alaska, Hawaii and other 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).

A list of airports, sorted by ICAO code, is available.

Prefixes

Prefix code	Country
AG	Solomon Islands
AN	Nauru
AY	Papua New Guinea
BG	Greenland
BI	Iceland
C	Canada
DA	Algeria
DB	Benin
DF	Burkina Faso
DG	Ghana
DI	Côte d'Ivoire
DN	Nigeria
DR	Niger
DT	Tunisia
DX	Togolese Republic
EB	Belgium
ED	Germany (civil)
EE	Estonia
EF	Finland
EG	United Kingdom
EH	Netherlands
EI	Republic of Ireland
EK	Denmark
EL	Luxembourg
EN	Norway
EP	Poland
ES	Sweden
ET	Germany (military)
EV	Latvia
EY	Lithuania
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
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
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	Mainland United States of America
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	Gaza Strip
LW	Macedonia
LX	Gibraltar
LY	Serbia and Montenegro
LZ	Slovakia
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
NC	Cook Islands
NF	Fiji, Tonga
NG	Kiribati (Gilbert Islands), Tuvalu
NI	Niue
NL	Wallis and Futuna
NS	Samoa
NT	French Polynesia
NV	Vanuatu
NW	New Caledonia
NZ	New Zealand
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
PA	Alaska only
PB	Baker Island
PC	Kiribati (Canton Airfield, Phoenix Islands)
PF	Fort Yukon, Alaska
PG	Guam, Northern Marianas
PH	Hawaii only
PJ	Johnston Atoll
PK	Marshall Islands
PL	Kiribati (Line Islands)
PM	Midway Island
PO	Oliktok Long Range Radar Station, Alaska
PP	Point Lay, Alaska
PT	Federated States of Micronesia, Palau
PW	Wake Island
RC	Taiwan
RJ	Japan (most of country)
RK	South Korea
RO	Japan (Okinawa Prefecture and Yoron)
RP	Philippines
SA	Argentina
SB	Brazil (also SD, SN, SS and SW)
SC	Chile
SD	Brazil (also SB, SN, SS and SW)
SE	Ecuador
SF	Falkland Islands
SG	Paraguay
SK	Colombia
SL	Bolivia
SM	Suriname
SN	Brazil (also SB, SD, SS and SW)
SO	French Guiana
SP	Peru
SS	Brazil (also SB, SD, SN and SW)
SU	Uruguay
SV	Venezuela
SW	Brazil (also SB, SD, SN and SS)
SY	Guyana
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 (except UA, UB, UG, UK, UM and UT)
UA	Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
UB	Azerbaijan
UG	Armenia, Georgia
UK	Ukraine
UM	Belarus
UT	Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
VA	India (also VE, VI and VO)
VC	Sri Lanka
VD	Cambodia
VE	India (also VA, VI and VO)
VG	Bangladesh
VH	Hong Kong
VI	India (also VA, VE and VO)
VL	Laos
VM	Macao
VN	Nepal
VO	India (also VA, VE and VI)
VQ	Bhutan
VR	Maldives
VT	Thailand
VV	Vietnam
VY	Myanmar
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
Z	People's Republic of China (except ZK and ZM)
ZK	North Korea
ZM	Mongolia

Some examples

EDDM: Bavaria - Franz Josef Strauss International Airport, Munich (IATA airport code MUC)
EBBR: Belgium - Brussels International Airport, Brussels (IATA airport code BRU)
VTBD: Thailand - Don Muang International Airport, Bangkok (BKK)
FAJS: South Africa - Johannesburg International Airport, Johannesburg (JNB)
KBOS: United States - Logan International Airport, Boston (BOS)
KJFK: United States - John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York (JFK)
KORD: United States - O'Hare International Airport, Chicago (ORD)
LIRF: Italy - Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport, Fiumicino, near Rome (FCO)
OMDB: United Arab Emirates - Dubai International Airport, Dubai (DXB)
TBPB: Barbados - Grantley Adams International Airport, near Bridgetown (BGI)
YSCB: Australia - Canberra (CBR)
VHHH: Hong Kong SAR, China - Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong (HKG)
VOHY: India - Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad (HYD)
CYVR: Canada - Vancouver International Airport, Richmond, BC (YVR)
CPR2: Canada - Embrun Airport, Embrun, ON

Others are less logical; very few UK airports are obvious, for example:
EGLL - London Heathrow (LHR), EGKK - London Gatwick (LGW) (see also List of UK airfields)

See also

*List of airports by IATA code
* List of airports by ICAO code
* ICAO airline designators a list of codes

References

* ICAO World Airfield Catalogue
* ICAO airport code prefixes
* IATA location identifiers