how do icao codes work

What is ICAO code?

The ICAO (pronounced /ˌaɪˌkeɪˈoʊ/, as if "I-K-O") airport code or location indicator is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. These codes are defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization, and published in ICAO Document 7910: Location Indicators.

Why do ICAO codes start with K?

K – United States The prefix K is generally reserved for the contiguous United States. The ICAO codes for these airports are usually the FAA location identifier prefixed with a K. IATA codes are listed where applicable.

Why are IATA and ICAO codes different?

Since the code contains only three letters, the possible combinations are limited and consequently the IATA codes are not unique in some cases, with the same code used to designate two different airports. Therefore, the ICAO codes were created because aviation requires a unique designation for airports.

Why is O'Hare called ORD?

The company left after the war ended, but the airfield remained, and was called Orchard Field Airport, after a nearby farming community named Orchard Place. (It's from this original name that the abbreviation ORD comes.) It was renamed O'Hare in 1949 to honor Edward “Butch” O'Hare, a naval aviator during World War II.

What does code 11 mean in an airport?

11 (PD) LATE CHECK-IN, acceptance after deadline 12 (PL) LATE CHECK-IN, congestions in check-in area 13 (PE) CHECK-IN ERROR, passenger and baggage 14 (PO) OVERSALES, booking errors 15 (PH) BOARDING, discrepancies and paging, missing checked-in passenger 16 (PS) COMMERCIAL PUBLICITY/PASSENGER CONVENIENCE, VIP, press, ...

Why are ICAO codes important?

ICAO codes are also used to identify other aviation facilities such as weather stations, international flight service stations or area control centers, whether or not they are located at airports. Flight information regions are also identified by a unique ICAO-code.

Who uses ICAO?

The ICAO airport codes, also known as location indicators, are the four-letter sequences used by pilots and air traffic controllers in their charts, on-board systems and in communications.

What is the main difference between IATA and ICAO?

While IATA is technically considered a non-governmental organization, its key role is as a trade association to represent commercial airlines of the world. On the other side, ICAO acts as an intergovernmental association- supporting diplomacy and cooperation between countries as they relate to air transport.

What does K stand for in aviation?

K - Known ATC Delays. R - Runway Lengths. A - Alternate. F - Fuel. T - Takeoff and Landing Distances.

Why do all airports start with K?

The “K” identifier is for ICAO recognized airports that are located in the contiguous United States, though some smaller and privately-owned runways follow other naming conventions.

Do all US airport codes start with K?

Be aware that not all U.S. airports use K. Alaska, at least Anchorage, uses P as does Honolulu.

Why do Alaska airports start with P?

The states of Hawaii and Alaska append the letter “P” to indicate that they are in the ICAO pacific region. Anchorage is PANC in the ICAO system and Honolulu is PHNL.

What is the purpose of ICAO?

ICAO is a specialized agency part of the United Nations (UN), Its mission is to manage the administration and governance of the Chicago Convention (Convention on International Civil Aviation). To achieve this goal, ICAO is working with its 192 Member States and industry organizations to develop international Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). These SARPs in return will ensure a safe, efficient, secure, economically sustainable and environmentally responsible aviation industry. By applying ICAO SARPs, States ensure that their national civil aviation operations are in conformance with internationally agreed global standards, which allows for more than one hundred thousand flights to operate safely and reliably in every region of the world on a daily basis.

What is an IP in ICAO?

States and International Organisations, such as IFATCA, are invited to publish Working Papers (WP) or Information Papers (IP ) to raise issues or propose work items to be included in the Work Programme of ICAO for the coming years.

How many flights can be operated by ICAO?

By applying ICAO SARPs, States ensure that their national civil aviation operations are in conformance with internationally agreed global standards, which allows for more than one hundred thousand flights to operate safely and reliably in every region of the world on a daily basis.

When was the ICAO formed?

ICAO was officially created in 1944 and was constituted by the Chicago Convention. According to the terms of the Convention, signed by all Member States, ICAO is made up of an Assembly, a Council and a Secretariat. The organization is governed by two chief officers: the Secretary General and the President of the Council.

How many states are there in the ICAO?

the Council. Elected by the Assembly every three years, it is composed of 36 States. The composition of the body is made to ensure that all major areas of the world are represented. The Council gives direction to the work of ICAO, adopt Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs), assisted by the Air Navigation Commission (ANC) ...

How did the ICAO code form?

Their ICAO codes were formed simply by prepending a K to the existing codes, as half the radio station identifiers in the US began with K (with the other half using the letter W, which is used in Southeast Asia).

What is the ICAO code?

The ICAO ( / ˌaɪˌkeɪˈoʊ /, eye-KAY-oh) airport code or location indicator is a four-letter code designating aerodromes around the world. These codes, as defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization and published in ICAO Document 7910: Location Indicators, are used by air traffic control and airline operations such as flight planning . ...

What is the difference between IATA and ICAO codes?

ICAO codes are separate and different from IATA codes, which are generally used for airline timetables, reservations, and baggage tags. For example, the IATA code for London 's Heathrow Airport is LHR and its ICAO code is EGLL. ICAO codes are commonly seen by passengers and the general public on flight-tracking services such as FlightAware, but passengers will more often see the IATA codes, such as on their tickets and their luggage tags. In general IATA codes are usually derived from the name of the airport or the city it serves, while ICAO codes are distributed by region and country. Far more aerodromes (in the broad sense) have ICAO codes than IATA codes, which are sometimes assigned to railway stations as well. Historically, IATA codes were also used in flight plans and for other air traffic control purposes in certain jurisdictions. Selection of ICAO codes is partly delegated to authorities in each country, while IATA codes which have no geographic structure must be decided centrally by IATA.

What is the ICAO code for the Falkland Islands?

For example, the RAF Mount Pleasant air base in the Falkland Islands is assigned the ICAO code EGYP as though it were in the United Kingdom, but nearby civilian Port Stanley Airport is assigned SFAL, consistent with South America. Similarly Saint Pierre and Miquelon is controlled by France, and airports there are assigned LFxx as though they were in Europe. Kosovo is assigned the code BKxx grouping it with Greenland and Iceland rather than its geographical neighbors which have Lxxx (described below).

What is the ICAO code for Mount Pleasant?

For example, the RAF Mount Pleasant air base in the Falkland Islands is assigned the ICAO code EGYP as though it were in the United Kingdom, but nearby civilian Port Stanley Airport is assigned SFAL, consistent with South America.

Where do IATA codes come from?

In general IATA codes are usually derived from the name of the airport or the city it serves, while ICAO codes are distributed by region and country. Far more aerodromes (in the broad sense) have ICAO codes than IATA codes, which are sometimes assigned to railway stations as well.

Which countries have ICAO prefix?

However, because Alaska, Hawaii, and United States territories have their own 2-letter ICAO prefix (i.e. "PA" for Alaska, "PH" for Hawaii"), 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.

What are airport codes?

Airport codes are a common source of confusion and represent a significant portion of the alphabet soup of aviation terminology. One airport often has multiple codes used to reference it. New York’s JFK also goes by KJFK. There are three main types of codes, each with a different level of recognition outside of those intimately familiar with aviation data. FlightAware’s airport database product (also available as a subscription for ongoing updates) provides the “magic decoder ring” for worldwide airport data. Importantly, it provides a cross-reference between the three types of airport codes so that you can properly correlate airport data.

What is the difference between IATA and ICAO codes?

While IATA codes specifically support the airline travel industry, ICAO codes more broadly support international flight operations regardless of the type of operation (to include general and business aviation). ICAO codes are filed on air traffic control flight plans and are the international standard used worldwide for interoperability between air navigation service providers. As such, pilots, dispatchers, and air traffic controllers work primarily in the ICAO airport code scheme. The United Nation’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) coordinates the assignment and dissemination of ICAO codes. ICAO codes consist of 4-alphabetic characters. The first one or two letters are allocated to a specific country by ICAO, and each country handles specific assignments to airports within its boundaries using the remaining two or three characters. ICAO publishes a list of codes in its “Doc 7910” document. Like IATA codes, ICAO codes are considered “location codes” by ICAO and are assigned to locations other than airports, such as air traffic control facilities, weather forecast offices, etc. ICAO also assigns two notable special codes: “ZZZZ” to designate airports without an ICAO code (e.g., to be filed on an ATC flight plan) and “AFIL” to designate the origin for flight plans filed when the aircraft is already in the air.

What is the least understood type of airport code?

The least understood type of airport code is the LID code . LID is an abbreviation for “local identifier” and “local” in this context means local to the country in which they are assigned. LID codes are most like ICAO codes, in that they are used to uniquely identify airports for operational reasons by air traffic control. Most countries do not assign LID codes and instead typically only assign 4-letter ICAO codes. Notably, countries such as the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Russia assign LID codes within their boundaries. In the United States, many airports have LID codes and IATA codes that are the same, which results in the two being conflated quite frequently. Additionally, some airports have IATA codes that are not the same as the assigned LID code , which results in additional confusion. While English is the international language of aviation, Russia goes its own way by assigning LID code s using the Cyrillic alphabet.

How does FlightAware track a flight?

FlightAware tracks flights primarily by their origin and destination ICAO location codes, when available. In cases when an airport does not have an ICAO code, FlightAware falls back to a LID code if one is available. In rare cases, FlightAware may track a flight only by its IATA code if that is the only available code for the airport. When FlightAware is unable to determine an origin or destination airport, the flight is tracked simply by the latitude and longitude coordinates from its first or last observed position, respectively.

What are the different types of airport codes?

The three types of airport codes are IATA, ICAO, and LID codes.

Do airports have unique codes?

It is important to note that airports can have any combination of IATA, ICAO, and/or LID codes assigned. Furthermore, it is also worth remembering that many airports have no unique designator codes at all. Airports without any code tend to be small private airstrips or helipads.

What is iStars application?

iSTARS is a collection of web applications. As in most of modern devices, those applications are distributed through a Catalogue.

How long is iStars free?

All users will get free access to all applications for 30 days. To continue using iSTARS, you need to purchase an eTools PIN Code (64 digit code) from the ICAO Online Store and enter it in the "My Account" page of iSTARS .

What is the purpose of ICAO codes?

ICAO’s 4-letter codes are used for “official” purposes such as Air Traffic Control; flight plans use ICAO codes for airports and airline flight identification . ICAO codes are commonly seen within the aviation industry and on private flight-tracking services such as FlightAware ( www.flightaware.com ), whereas passengers more often will see IATA codes on their tickets and luggage.

How Do Airports Get Their Codes?

As commercial airlines became more accessible and air travel gained popularity throughout the 1930’s, a three-letter system was used to create a seemingly endless amount of combinations — it’s actually 17,576.

What is the IATA code?

IATA (International Air Transport Association) is a trade association that represents the airlines IATA codes are mainly used for ticketing; travel itineraries use IATA’s 3-letter codes for airports and IATA flight numbers. The assignment of these codes is administered by the Montreal-based International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the codes cover locations (mainly airports) around the globe.

What is the difference between the FAA and ICAO?

Basically, the ICAO is focused on civil aviation regulations, whereas IATA is a trade association for airlines. The FAA is the United States’ civil aviation authority, governing domestic airlines, their operations and regulations. Check out all of the airport codes around the world, and learn more about the organizations below.

What was the code for Orchard Place?

Take Chicago, for example — in the 1940’s, Orchard Place was a small community just west of the city and the site of a military airport; the airfield was also a manufacturing facility for Douglas Aircraft, and Or chard Place Airport – D ouglas Field was given the code ORD.

What is the airport code for Liberty International Airport?

DuBai subbed an X for the U, making its unique airport code of DXB. EWR. Liberty International Airport, Newark, New Jersey. When airport identifiers switched from two letters to three, the Navy reserved all codes starting with N. NEWaRk, then, used the other letters in its name to make EWR.

What is the airport code for Austin Powers?

While it may sound like a private airport for cougars (both kinds) or Austin Powers’ preferred landing pad, GRR is actually the code used for G erald R. Fo r d International Airport in Gr and R apids, hitting a rare twofer with both formal and city names.

Overview

History

ICAO codes versus IATA codes

Structure

Pseudo ICAO-codes

See also

External links