ICAO airport code

The ICAO airport code 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 weather stations, whether or not they are located at airports.

Related Topics:
Airport code - Alphanumeric - Code - International Civil Aviation Organization - Air traffic control - Flight planning - IATA codes - Airline - Timetable - Reservation - Baggage - Weather station

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Unlike the IATA codes, the ICAO codes have a regional structure. 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.

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In the United States and Canada, most airports which have been assigned three-letter IATA codes use the same code with leading "K" or "C" as their ICAO code (or P, in the case of Alaska and Hawaii); 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 callsigns starting with those letters.

Related Topics:
United States - Canada - IATA - Calgary International Airport - Calgary, Alberta - Dulles International Airport - Chantilly, Virginia - Call sign

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

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