If you’ve ever booked a flight, you’re probably familiar with airport codes. These three-letter designations are used to identify airports around the world, from major hubs like LAX for Los Angeles International Airport to smaller regional airports like BTV for Burlington International Airport in Vermont. But why do airports have codes, and how are they assigned? Let’s take a closer look.

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What Are the Different Types of Airport Codes?

There are two main types of airport codes: IATA and ICAO. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) assigns three-letter codes to most commercial airports worldwide, as well as to other transportation terminals that collaborate with airlines. These codes are used for ticketing, reservations, and baggage handling, among other purposes. The less common four-letter codes used by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) are typically used by air traffic control officials and for other aviation-related purposes.

Why Are Airport Codes Three Letters?

The history of airport codes goes back to the early days of aviation, when pilots began referring to airports using the National Weather Service’s two-letter city identification system. However, as the number of airports grew, the available codes were quickly exhausted. In the 1940s, airlines expanded to a three-letter code system, often adding an “X” to previously coded airports to create new codes. The IATA later standardized these three-letter codes in the 1960s, and they remain the most common type of airport code worldwide.

How Do Airports Get Their Codes?

Most IATA codes are derived from the first three letters of an airport’s city, such as MIA for Miami International Airport or SFO for San Francisco International Airport. Other codes reference the name of the airport itself, such as MDW for Chicago Midway International Airport or JFK for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. If both of these options are already taken, the airport may receive a code that references an aspect of the city’s history or location. For example, Nashville International Airport’s code, BNA, includes a “B” in honor of Colonel Harry Berry, head of Tennessee’s Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression.

Common airport code list:

• JFK: John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York City, USA)
• LAX: Los Angeles International Airport (Los Angeles, USA)
• MIA: Miami International Airport (Miami, USA)
• YYZ: Toronto Pearson International Airport (Toronto, Canada)
• LHR: London Heathrow Airport (London, UK)
• CDG: Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (Paris, France)
• FRA: Frankfurt Airport (Frankfurt, Germany)
• DXB: Dubai International Airport (Dubai, UAE)
• SIN: Singapore Changi Airport (Singapore)
• NRT: Narita International Airport (Tokyo, Japan)
• SYD: Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (Sydney, Australia)
• PEK: Beijing Capital International Airport (Beijing, China)
• BKK: Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok, Thailand)
• ICN: Incheon International Airport (Seoul, South Korea)
• MEX: Mexico City International Airport (Mexico City, Mexico)
• EZE: Ministro Pistarini International Airport (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
• SVO: Sheremetyevo International Airport (Moscow, Russia)
• AMS: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
• HKG: Hong Kong International Airport (Hong Kong)
• DEL: Indira Gandhi International Airport (New Delhi, India)
• JNB: O.R. Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg, South Africa)
• AKL: Auckland Airport (Auckland, New Zealand)
• GRU: São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport (São Paulo, Brazil)
• IST: Istanbul Airport (Istanbul, Turkey)
• FCO: Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (Rome, Italy)
• DFW: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (Dallas/Fort Worth, USA)
• ATL: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Atlanta, USA)
• SFO: San Francisco International Airport (San Francisco, USA)
• ORD: Chicago O’Hare International Airport (Chicago, USA)
• DEN: Denver International Airport (Denver, USA)
• SEA: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Seattle, USA)
• YYC: Calgary International Airport (Calgary, Canada)
• BNE: Brisbane Airport (Brisbane, Australia)
• CPH: Copenhagen Airport (Copenhagen, Denmark)
• MAD: Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (Madrid, Spain)
• MUC: Munich Airport (Munich, Germany)
• HND: Tokyo International Airport (Tokyo, Japan)
• YVR: Vancouver International Airport (Vancouver, Canada)
• DUB: Dublin Airport (Dublin, Ireland)

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