What is an Airport Code?

Answer:
To identify a specific airport, and airport code

is applied. The two types of codes most commonly identified are: The IATA (International Air Transportation Association), and the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) airport code. The IATA code is a three-letter code that designates many airports around the world. A good example of the IATA code, are the characters displayed on airport luggage tags found at check-in desks.

To date, many of the strange codes that travelers see on their baggage are based on the original names of the airports, or the installation that preceded the grounds that current airports occupy. Older airport codes things like changes in aviation-related publications in check. There is also an honor tradition involved as well. The IATA airport code is normally used for reservations, airline timetables, baggage handling, and reservations, and is the airport code generally encountered by the public.

ICAO airport codes are a little more complex, and have a regional structure. The first letter of the ICAO code represents a country or a group of countries with a specific continent. The second letter narrows a location down to a country within a region. The third and fourth letters identify each airport.

If you have been feeling perplexed over the meaning of an airport code, you can rest a little easier! They are there to make life a bit more manageable for all of us and think of it as a three letter postal address.


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