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Map of countries classified with ICAO airport code prefixes and subnational regions with their respective second ICAO letter

The ICAO 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 quarterly in ICAO Document 7910: Location Indicators, are used by air traffic control and airline operations such as flight planning. 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.

History

The recommendations for ICAO airport codes were adopted on 24 March 1959, and came into force on 1 October the same year.^[1]

ICAO codes versus IATA codes

ICAO codes are separate and different from IATA codes, the latter of which have three letters and 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. IATA codes are commonly seen by passengers and the general public on flight-tracking services such as FlightAware.

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. The 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.

Structure

The first one or two letters of the ICAO code indicate the country; the remaining letters identify the airport. ICAO codes are used partly for geographical context. For example, the ICAO code for Heathrow International Airport in London, is EGLL, with its first letters reflecting that it is based in the United Kingdom. On the other hand, IATA codes do not provide geographic reference. For example, LHR, representing Heathrow, does not enable one to deduce the location of the airport LHV with any greater certainty; it is William T. Piper Memorial Airport in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania in the United States.

There are a few exceptions to the regional structure of the ICAO code that have been historically for political or administrative reasons. RAF Mount Pleasant air base in the Falkland Islands, for instance, 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. 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). Jerusalem International Airport was assigned both LLJR (its Israeli persona) as well as OJJR (its Jordanian persona), but the airport itself fell into disuse. Western Sydney Airport, due to open in 2026 has the ICAO code YSWS. In Australia, the second letter is usually linked to the airport's FIR. However, Sydney's FIR has been non-existent since the introduction of TAAATS.

In the contiguous United States and Canada, many airports have ICAO codes that are simply copies of their three-letter IATA codes, with the geographical prefix added on (e.g., YEG and CYEG both refer to Edmonton International Airport, while IAD and KIAD both refer to Washington Dulles International Airport). This similarity does not extend to Alaska (PAxx), Hawaii (PHxx), or U.S. territories. Kahului Airport on Maui, for instance, has an IATA code of OGG and an ICAO code of PHOG.

ICAO airport codes do not begin with I or J or X or Q, though the Jezero Crater on Mars is assigned the special ICAO code JZRO.^[2] Codes beginning with I (Ixx and Ixxx) are often used for navigational aids such as radio beacons, while the Q code is reserved for international radiocommunications and non-geographical special use.

In Russia, Latin letter X, or its Morse/Baudot Cyrillic equivalent Ь, are used to designate government, military, and experimental aviation airfields in internal airfield codes similar in structure and purpose to ICAO codes but not used internationally.^[3] ZZZZ is a pseudo-code, used in flight plans for aerodromes with no ICAO code assigned.

ICAO codes are sometimes updated. Johannesburg Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, for instance, was formerly known as Jan Smuts International Airport, with code FAJS. When the airport was renamed O. R. Tambo International Airport, its ICAO code was updated to FAOR.

Some airports have two ICAO codes, usually when an airport is shared by civilian and military users. Frankfurt Airport in Frankfurt, Germany, for instance, has been assigned ICAO code EDDF while Rhein-Main Air Base was assigned ICAO code EDAF until its closure. Sion Airport in Switzerland has code LSGS while its military facilities have the ICAO code LSMS. Brussels Airport in Brussels, Belgium, has the ICAO code EBBR for its civilian facilities, and Melsbroek Air Base has been assigned ICAO code EBMB, even though the two airports share runways and ground and air control facilities.

Pseudo ICAO-codes

In small countries like Belgium or the Netherlands, almost all aerodromes have an ICAO code. For larger countries like the UK or Germany this is not feasible, given the limited number of letter codes. Some countries have addressed this issue by introducing a scheme of sub-ICAO aerodrome codes; France, for example, assigns pseudo ICAO codes in the style LFddnn, where dd indicates the department while nn is a sequential counter. The French Federation of Ultralight Motorized Gliders was formally named the keeper of these codes. Aerodrome de Torreilles in France, for instance, has code LF6651.^[4] In Antarctica many aerodromes have pseudo ICAO-codes with AT and two digits, while others have proper codes from countries performing air control such as NZ for New Zealand.

Prefixes

Prefix code	Country

	A – Western South Pacific
AG	Solomon Islands
AN	Nauru
AY	Papua New Guinea
	B – Greenland, Iceland, and Kosovo (European Alternate)
BG	Greenland
BI	Iceland
BK	Kosovo
	C – Canada
C	Canada
	D – Eastern parts of West Africa and Maghreb
DA	Algeria
DB	Benin
DF	Burkina Faso
DG	Ghana
DI	Côte d'Ivoire
DN	Nigeria
DR	Niger
DT	Tunisia
DX	Togo
	E – Northern Europe
EB	Belgium
ED	Germany (civil)
EE	Estonia
EF	Finland
EG	United Kingdom (and Crown Dependencies)
EH	Netherlands
EI	Ireland
EK	Denmark and the Faroe Islands
EL	Luxembourg
EN	Norway
EP	Poland
ES	Sweden
ET	Germany (military)
EV	Latvia
EY	Lithuania
	F – Most of Central Africa, Southern Africa, and the Indian Ocean
FA	South Africa
FB	Botswana
FC	Republic of the Congo
FD	Eswatini
FE	Central African Republic
FG	Equatorial Guinea
FH	Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
FI	Mauritius
FJ	British Indian Ocean Territory
FK	Cameroon
FL	Zambia
FM	Comoros, France (Mayotte and Réunion), and Madagascar
FN	Angola
FO	Gabon
FP	São Tomé and Príncipe
FQ	Mozambique
FS	Seychelles
FT	Chad
FV	Zimbabwe
FW	Malawi
FX	Lesotho
FY	Namibia
FZ	Democratic Republic of the Congo
	G – Western parts of West Africa and Maghreb
GA	Mali
GB	The Gambia
GC	Spain (Canary Islands)
GE	Spain (Ceuta and Melilla)
GF	Sierra Leone
GG	Guinea-Bissau
GL	Liberia
GM	Morocco
GO	Senegal
GQ	Mauritania
GU	Guinea
GV	Cape Verde
	H – East Africa and Northeast Africa
HA	Ethiopia
HB	Burundi
HC	Somalia (including Somaliland)
HD	Djibouti
HE	Egypt
HH	Eritrea
HJ	South Sudan
HK	Kenya
HL	Libya
HR	Rwanda
HS	Sudan
HT	Tanzania
HU	Uganda
	J – Mars
J	Mars^{[dubious – discuss]}
	K – Contiguous United States
K	Contiguous United States
	L – Southern Europe, Cyprus, Israel, Palestine and Turkey
LA	Albania
LB	Bulgaria
LC	Cyprus
LD	Croatia
LE	Spain (mainland section and Balearic Islands)
LF	France (Metropolitan France; including Saint-Pierre and Miquelon)
LG	Greece
LH	Hungary
LI	Italy (and San Marino)
LJ	Slovenia
LK	Czech Republic
LL	Israel
LM	Malta
LN	Monaco
LO	Austria
LP	Portugal (including the Azores and Madeira)
LQ	Bosnia and Herzegovina
LR	Romania
LS	Switzerland and Liechtenstein
LT	Turkey
LU	Moldova
LV	Palestine/Palestinian territories
LW	North Macedonia
LX	Gibraltar
LY	Serbia and Montenegro
LZ	Slovakia
	M – Central America, Mexico and northern/western parts of the Caribbean
MB	Turks and Caicos Islands
MD	Dominican Republic
MG	Guatemala
MH	Honduras
MK	Jamaica
MM	Mexico
MN	Nicaragua
MP	Panama
MR	Costa Rica
MS	El Salvador
MT	Haiti
MU	Cuba
MW	Cayman Islands
MY	Bahamas
MZ	Belize
	N – Most of the South Pacific and New Zealand
NC	Cook Islands
NF	Fiji, Tonga
NG	Kiribati (Gilbert Islands), Tuvalu
NI	Niue
NL	France (Wallis and Futuna)
NS	Samoa, United States (American Samoa)
NT	France (French Polynesia)
NV	Vanuatu
NW	France (New Caledonia)
NZ	New Zealand, parts of Antarctica
	O – Southwest Asia, including Gulf States, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan
OA	Afghanistan
OB	Bahrain
OE	Saudi Arabia
OI	Iran
OJ	Jordan and the West Bank
OK	Kuwait
OL	Lebanon
OM	United Arab Emirates
OO	Oman
OP	Pakistan
OR	Iraq
OS	Syria
OT	Qatar
OY	Yemen
	P – most of the North Pacific, and Kiribati
PA	US (Alaska) (also PF, PO and PP)
PB	US (Baker Island)
PC	Kiribati (Canton Airfield, Phoenix Islands)
PF	US (Alaska) (also PA, PO and PP)
PG	US (Guam, Northern Mariana Islands)
PH	US (Hawaii)
PJ	US (Johnston Atoll)
PK	Marshall Islands
PL	Kiribati (Line Islands)
PM	US (Midway Island)
PO	US (Alaska) (also PA, PF and PP)
PP	US (Alaska) (also PA, PF and PO)
PT	Federated States of Micronesia, Palau
PW	US (Wake Island)
	R – Japan, S. Korea, Philippines
RC	Republic of China (Taiwan)
RJ	Japan (Mainland)
RK	South Korea (Republic of Korea)
RO	Japan (Okinawa)
RP	Philippines
	S – South America
SA	Argentina (including parts of Antarctica)
SB	Brazil (also SD, SI, SJ, SN, SS and SW)
SC	Chile (including Easter Island and parts of Antarctica) (also SH)
SD	Brazil (also SB, SI, SJ, SN, SS and SW)
SE	Ecuador
SF	Falkland Islands
SG	Paraguay
SH	Chile (also SC)
SI	Brazil (also SB, SD, SJ, SN, SS and SW)
SJ	Brazil (also SB, SD, SI, SN, SS and SW)
SK	Colombia
SL	Bolivia
SM	Suriname
SN	Brazil (also SB, SD, SI, SJ, SS and SW)
SO	France (French Guiana)
SP	Peru
SS	Brazil (also SB, SD, SI, SJ, SN and SW)
SU	Uruguay
SV	Venezuela
SW	Brazil (also SB, SD, SI, SJ, SN and SS)
SY	Guyana
	T – Eastern and southern parts of the Caribbean
TA	Antigua and Barbuda
TB	Barbados
TD	Dominica
TF	France (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin)
TG	Grenada
TI	US (U.S. Virgin Islands)
TJ	US (Puerto Rico)
TK	Saint Kitts and Nevis
TL	Saint Lucia
TN	Caribbean Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten
TQ	Anguilla
TR	Montserrat
TT	Trinidad and Tobago
TU	British Virgin Islands
TV	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
TX	Bermuda
	U – Most former Soviet countries
U	Russia (except as below)
UA	Kazakhstan
UB	Azerbaijan
UC	Kyrgyzstan
UD	Armenia
UG	Georgia
UK	Ukraine
UM	Belarus and Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast)
UT	Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
	V – Many South Asian countries, mainland Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau
VA	India (West India)
VC	Sri Lanka
VD	Cambodia
VE	India (East India)
VG	Bangladesh
VH	Hong Kong
VI	India (North India)
VL	Laos
VM	Macau
VN	Nepal
VO	India (South India)
VQ	Bhutan
VR	Maldives
VT	Thailand
VV	Vietnam
VY	Myanmar
	W – Most of Maritime Southeast Asia
WA	Indonesia (also WI, WQ and WR)
WB	Brunei, Malaysia (East Malaysia)
WI	Indonesia (also WA, WQ and WR)
WM	Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia)
WP	Timor-Leste
WQ	Indonesia (also WA, WI and WR)
WR	Indonesia (also WA, WI and WQ)
WS	Singapore
	Y – Australia
Y	Australia (including Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Australian Antarctic Territory)
	Z – China, North Korea and Mongolia
Z	Mainland China (except ZK and ZM)
ZK	North Korea
ZM	Mongolia