What Are IATA Airport Codes
Are They The Same As ICAO Airport Codes
You will probably have seen IATA airport codes on your travels but not actually taken much notice of them or if you did, not actually realised what they were. Airports normally have two commonly used codes and these are the IATA airport codes and the ICAO airport codes. If you have travelled by air, you will surely have seen a three letter IATA code on your travel documents, luggage label or booking confirmation that provides.
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The IATA Airport Code
The IATA airport codes are codes that are assigned to each airport around the world. The codes usually consist of three letters are designed to help distinguish individual airports throughout the world. This is useful because many of the larger cities throughout the world have more than one airport servicing the city. Having IATA airport codes in place allows people to quickly distinguish which airport they are searching for.
The three letters are usually made up from the first three letters of the city to which the airport is located or they can be a combination of three letters in the airports name.
For Example:
The IATA code for Manchester Airport is MAN
The IATA code for London Heathrow Airport is: LHR
However, there are some airports that do not follow this rule for various reasons and it may be that the city they are located in has more than one airport or the airport actually crosses or services several counties, regions, towns or municipalities.
An example of this would be Leeds Bradford Airport who’s IATA code is: LBA
What Does IATA Stand For
IATA simply stands for ‘International Air Transport Association’ and it is the trade association for all the world’s airline.
The IATA code is also known as:
IATA location identifier
IATA station code
What Are IATA Airport Codes Used For
Basically, the IATA airport codes are simply used to identify an airport but these simple three letter codes play an integral part in the everyday running of both an airport and an airline’s operations. They are also a big part of the travel industry itself and are used in providing passenger documents, cargo and other online bookings such as car hire, car parking, transfers. If you have ever booked your flights, car hire, car parking or airport transfers online, you will no doubt have been asked which airport you are departing from and which airport you are arriving at. Most of the search facilities will have either the name of the airport, the IATA airport code or both as an option.
Are IATA Airport Codes The Same As ICAO Airport Codes
No. both IATA airport codes and ICAO airport codes are different. Although they both identify an individual airport, they are used for different purposes. The IATA airport codes are more commonly seen by passengers as they are used throughout the travel industry on travel documents, booking forms and luggage labels. The ICAO airport codes are normally used for flight planning, flight tracking and also by the Air Traffic Control departments at the airports.
How Are IATA Airport Codes Issued
The IATA airport codes are issued and assigned to an airport by the IATA Resolution 763, who also govern the whole process from their administration headquarters in Montreal Switzerland. The codes are then published twice a year in the IATA Airline Coding Directory.
Below is a list of all the IATA airport codes of all the airports in the UK
Abbington Airport: ABB
Aldergrove International Airport, Belfast: BFS
Anglesey Airport: HLY
Barra Airport: BRR
Barrow/Wanley Island Airfield: BWF
Benbecula Airport: BEB
Birmingham International Airport: BHX
Blackbushe Airport, Camberley: BBS
Blackpool International Airport: BLK
Bournemouth Airport: BOH
Bristol Airport: BRS
Bristol Filton Airport: FZO
Cambridge Airport: CBG
Campbelton Airport: CAL
Cardiff Airport: CWL
Carlisle Airport: CAX
Castle Mill Airfield, Bedford: BFC
Chichester/Goodwood Airport: QUG
City of Derry Airport: LDY
Coventry Airport: CVT
Dundee Airport: DND
Durham Tees Valley Airport: MME
Dyce Airport Aberdeen: ABZ
East Midlands Airport: EMA
Eday Airport: EDI
Edinburgh Airport: EDI
Elstree Airfield, London: ETR
Exeter International Airport: EXT
Fair Isle Airport: FIE
George Best Belfast City Airport: BHD
Glasgow International Airport: GLA
Prestwick International Airport Glasgow: PIK
Gloucestershire Airport, Staverton: GLO
Hawarden Airport Chester: CEG
Humberside Airport Grimsby: HUY
Inverness Airport: INV
Islay Airport: ILY
Kent International Airport Canterbury: MSE
Kirkwall Airport: KOI
Land’s End Airport: LEQ
Latham Airfield Basingstoke: QLA
Leeds Bradford Airport: LBA
Liverpool John Lennon Airport: LPL
London Ashford Airport: LYX
London Biggin Hill Airport: BQH
London City Airport: LCY
London Farnborough Airport: FAB
London Gatwick Airport: LGW
London Heathrow Airport: LHR
London Luton Airport: LTN
London Southend Airport: SEN
Manchester Airport: MAN
Newcastle Airport: NCL
North Ronaldsay Airport: NRL
Norwich International Aiport: NWI
Oban Airport: OBN
Papa Westray Airport: PPW
Perth Airport: PSL
Plymouth City Airport: PLH
RAF Benson: BEX
RAF Brize Norton: BZZ
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield: DSA
Sanday Airport: NDY
Scatsia Airport Lerwick: SCS
Sheffield City Airport: SZD
Shoreham Airport: ESH
Southampton Airport: SOU
St. Mary’s Airport: ISC
Stansted Airport: STN
Stornoway Airport: SYY
Stronsay Airport: SOY
Sumburgh Airport: LSI
Swansea Airport: SWS
Tingwall Airport Lerwick: LWK
Tiree Airport Balemartine: TRE
Westray Airport Aikerness: WRY
Wick Airport: WIC
Below is a list of all the IATA airport codes for the main airports located throughout Ireland
Bantry Airport: BYT
Connaught Airport: NOC
Cork Airport: ORK
Donegal International Airport; CFN
Dublin Airport: DUB
Kerry County Airport: KIR
Shannon Airport: SNN
Sligo Airport: SXL
Waterford Airport: WAT
Galway Airport: GWY
Inishmore Airport: IOR
Castlebar Airport: CLB
Knowing the codes or having access to a list of all the IATA airport codes is handy to have, especially if you are searching for flights or car hire. We hope that you have found this guide beneficial and that it helps you understand the relevance to the IATA codes and helps you in your future booking before travel. If you would like to see a full list of IATA airport codes, please click on the link below.