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ICAO Airport Codes – A Simple Guide

The ICAO Codes

What Does ICAO Stand For

What Are ICAO Codes Used For

Are ICAO Codes The Same As IATA Codes

How Are ICAO Codes Issued

Ireland

What Are ICAO Airport Codes

If you have travelled by air, you will no doubt have seen a couple of small codes listed next to the name of the airport to which you are travel to and from. These codes are usually displayed on booking documents, websites, luggage labels or even at the airport itself. These are codes that are displayed everyway in reference to each airport throughout the world but very few people actually know or understand what they mean or what their purpose actually is.

There are two commonly used codes that are displayed in reference to each individual airport around the world and these codes are the ICAO code and the IATA code. On this page, we will be explaining what ICAO airport codes are and what their significance is in relation to each operational airport throughout the world.

The ICAO Airport Codes

The ICAO code or Location Indicator is basically a four digit code that is designed to distinguish every airport individually around the world. Each airport is given its own unique code and the airport can then be identified using that code. No two ICAO airport codes are the same and each airport is issued with its own unique code.

What Does ICAO Stand For

The ICAO stands for ‘International Civil Aviation Organization‘. The International Civil Aviation Organization was set up in 1947 and it was supported by the United Nations. The ICAO airport codes were originally designed to help flight planning, controlling air traffic and also to help identify each airport throughout the world quickly.

What Are ICAO Airport Codes Used For

The ICAO codes of all the airports around the world are used in airline operations and flight planning. They are also used for Air Traffic Control communications and help them identify an individual airport very quickly. The ICAO code is also used by pilots and many flight tracking software applications.

Are ICAO Codes The Same As IATA Codes

No, ICAO airport codes and IATA airport codes are different and represent two different things. As we mentioned earlier, the ICAO is more commonly used in the flight operation process such as Air Traffic Control, by pilots, for flight planning and tracking. The ICAO code of an airport is not normally as visible to passengers, simply because they don’t really need to know it. The IATA code is more commonly used on flight tickets, baggage labels, documents and is much more visible to the passenger in the booking and travel process.

How Are ICAO Airport Codes Issued

ICAO airport codes are issued to an airport based on its location and provide Geographic information about the airport. This then means that the ICAO code of an airport can provide people with a quick indication of the location of the airport. Each region and country has designated letters and codes and as a result, an airport will be issued with a code that corresponds with the region and country to which it is located.

The first letter on an airports ICAO code is allocated for the Continent and the second letter is designated to represent the country within that region. The last two letter of the four digit code simply represent the airport itself.

For Example:

The letter ‘E’ represents Northern Europe

The letter ‘G’ represents The United Kingdom

Therefore, the airport ICAO code for any UK airport will start with the two letters EG and will then have two additional letters after the EG. As you will see from the list below, the last two letter of the ICAO that represent the airport do not actually correspond with the initials of the airport unlike the IATA code. Fore Example: The ICAO code for Manchester Airport is EGCC, the last two letters representing the airport are CC. However, the IATA code for Manchester Airport is MAN.

List Of All UK Airport ICAO Codes

Aberdeen Airport:                                          EGPD

Alderney Airport In Guernsey:                    EGJA

Barra Airport:                                                  EGPR

Belfast City Airport:                                        EGAC

Belfast International Airport:                       EGAA

Benbecula Airport:                                          EGPL

Biggin Hill Airport London:                          EGKB

Birmingham International Airport:             EGBB

Blackbushe Airport:                                         EGLK

Blackpool International Airport;                   EGNH

Bournemouth International Airport:           EGHH

Bristol International Airport:                         EGGD

Cambridge Airport:                                          EGSC

Campbeltown Airport:                                    EGEC

Cardiff Airport:                                                 EGFF

Carlisle Airport:                                                EGNC

City of Derry Eglinton Airport:                     EGAE

Coventry International Airport:                   EGBE

Dalcross Airport Inverness :                         EGPE

Doncaster Sheffield Airport:                        EGCN

Dundee Airport:                                              EGPN

Durham Tees Valley Airport:                        EGNV

East Midlands Airport:                                  EGNX

Edinburgh Airport:                                        EGPH

Exeter International Airport:                      EGTE

Farnborough Airport:                                   EGLF

Filton Airport Bristol:                                   EGTG

Gatwick Airport:                                            EGKK

Glasgow Airport:                                            EGPF

Gloucestershire Airport:                               EGBJ

Guernsey Airport In Guernsey:                   EGJB

Haverfordwest Airport:                                 EGFE

Hawarden Airport In Chester:                     EGNR

Heathrow Airport:                                          EGLL

Humberside International Airport:            EGNJ

Islay Airport:                                                    EGPI

Isle of Man Airport :                                       EGNS

Isles of Scilly – St Mary´s Airport:               EGHE

Jersey Airport Jersey:                                    EGJJ

Kirkwall Airport:                                             EGPA

Land´s End Airport:                                       EGHC

Leeds Bradford International Airport:       EGNM

Liverpool John Lennon Airport:                  EGGP

London City Airport:                                      EGLC

Luton Airport:                                                  EGGW

Lydd Airport:                                                   EGMD

Manchester Airport:                                       EGCC

Manston – Kent International Airport:       EGMH

Newcastle Airport:                                          EGNT

Newquay Airport:                                            EGDG

Norwich International Airport:                    EGSH

Orkney Eday Airport:                                      EGED

Orkney Island North Ronaldsay Airport:    EGEN

Oxford Airport:                                                 EGTK

Penzance Heliport:                                          EGHK

Plymouth City Airport:                                   EGHD

Prestwick Airport Glasgow:                           EGPK

Scatsta Airport Shetland:                               EGPM

Sheffield City Airport:                                     EGSY

Shetland Isles Lerwick Tingwall Airport:    EGET

Shoreham Airport:                                           EGKA

Southampton International Airport:           EGHI

Southend Airport:                                            EGMC

Stansted Airport:                                             EGSS

Stornoway Airport:                                          EGPO

Sumburgh Airport on the Shetland Isles:   EGPB

Swansea Airport:                                              EGFH

Tiree Airport:                                                    EGPU

Wick Aerodrome:                                             EGPC

 

Below are the ICAO airport codes for all the airports that are located in Ireland. As you can see, all airports that are located in Ireland have a different code to those in the UK. The first two letters of the ICAO codes for Ireland are EI and not EG like the UK airports.

Ireland

Cork International Airport:        EICK

Donegal International Airport:  EIDL

Dublin Airport:                              EIDW

Galway Airport:                             EICM

Ireland West Airport Knock:      EIKN

Kerry Airport:                                EIKY

Shannon Airport:                          EINN

Sligo Airport:                                  EISG

Waterford Airport:                        EIWF

The ICAO airport codes play a major role in the day to day operations of any airport and we hope that this guide has been help is you understanding what the ICAO airports codes are for. If you would like to see a full list of Airports and their ICAO codes, please click on the link below:

ICAO Airport Codes

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