IATA codes are essential and ubiquitous in the airline industry. Each flight and airport has its own code, from which it can be immediately identified. These codes are standardized and recognized worldwide. This means that an IATA code will have the same meaning for everyone, making the processing of flight information considerably smoother and eliminating the possibility of misunderstandings. Whether you are a passenger looking for your flight, or a shipper wanting to keep track of your important shipment, IATA codes make it easy.
What is an IATA code?
IATA codes are unique codes assigned worldwide by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). These codes are designed to quickly and unambiguously identify flights, airports and airlines.
Airports are given a three-letter code, such as “AMS” for Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Airlines are usually given a two-letter code, such as “KL” for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and “BA” for British Airways. These codes can be found on tickets, baggage tags, flight schedules and in booking systems.
The impact of IATA codes on aviation.
IATA codes are essential to the efficient operation of global aviation. The clear and standardized identification of airports and airlines provides clarity in such areas as:
- Flight Planning
- Booking Systems
- Baggage handling
- Tracking shipments
Without this uniform coding, we would be far more likely to experience confusion and operational errors, resulting in delays, missed flights, cargo not arriving or security problems.
How are IATA codes structured?
To understand how an IATA code for a flight is structured, distinguish between codes for passenger flights and for air cargo shipments.
Identification passenger flights
A passenger flight code is structured as follows: XX-XXXX. Here the first two characters represent the airline, for example KL for KLM, and the other characters (up to four) represent the unique flight number. So an example of an IATA code could be KL 1201. This code can be found on tickets, boarding passes and other travel documents, and you can use the code to quickly find the status of a flight, at the airport or online.
Also important: codes for air cargo shipments
For air cargo transport, the codes work differently. For all parties involved in a shipment, from shipper to carrier to consignee, the cargo must be clearly identifiable for efficient processing and for smooth and orderly administration. Therefore, air cargo shipments use special codes, such as the Air Waybill Number, which is found first and foremost on the air waybill. In addition, there are universal abbreviations for different types of freights. For example, dangerous cargo or goods that require special handling for some other reason, such as perishable or fragile items.
Examples of IATA codes
Identification airports
Each airport has its own IATA code, which allows for efficient and standardized recording of departures and arrivals. These codes consist of three letters, often an abbreviation of the airport’s name. For example, the IATA code for Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is “AMS,” for Rotterdam The Hague Airport it is “RTM,” and for London Heathrow it is “LHR. These are the official IATA airport codes of 20 of the world’s major airports.
| Airport | Country | IATA code | |
| 1 | Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International | USA | ATL |
| 2 | Beijing Capital International Airport | China | PEK |
| 3 | Chicago O’Hare Airport | USA | ORD |
| 4 | London Heathrow | United Kingdom | LHR |
| 5 | Haneda Airport | Japan | HND |
| 6 | Los Angeles International | USA | LAX |
| 7 | Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport | France | CDG |
| 8 | Dallas-Ft Worth International | USA | DFW |
| 9 | Frankfurt Airport | Germany | FRA |
| 10 | Denver International | USA | THEN |
| 11 | Hong Kong International Airport | Hong Kong | HKG |
| 12 | Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas | Spain | MAD |
| 13 | Dubai International Airport | United Arab Emirates | DXB |
| 14 | John F. Kennedy International | USA | JFK |
| 15 | Amsterdam-Schiphol | Netherlands | AMS |
| 16 | Soekarno-Hatta International Airport | Indonesia | CGK |
| 17 | Suvarnabhumi Airport | Thailand | BKK |
| 18 | Singapore Changi International Airport | Singapore | SIN |
| 19 | Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport | China | CAN |
| 20 | Pudong International Airport | China | PVG |
Airlines codes
These are the IATA codes of 20 of the largest airlines.
| Airline | Country | IATA code | |
| 1 | Delta Air Lines | United States | DL |
| 2 | American Airlines Group | United States | AA |
| 3 | United Airlines Holdings | United States | UA |
| 4 | Lufthansa Group | Germany | LH |
| 5 | Air France-KLM | France/Netherlands | AF/KL |
| 6 | Southwest Airlines | United States | WN |
| 7 | International Airlines Group | UK/Spain | BA/IB |
| 8 | Turkish Airlines | Turkey | TK |
| 9 | China Southern Airlines | China | CZ |
| 10 | Air Canada | Canada | AC |
| 11 | Ryanair | Ireland | FR |
| 12 | Emirates | United Arab Emirates | EK |
| 13 | Qatar Airways | Qatar | QR |
| 14 | China Eastern Airlines | China | MU |
| 15 | Air China | China | CA |
| 16 | Aeroflot | Russia | SU |
| 17 | Indigo | India | 6E |
| 18 | Hainan Airlines | China | HU |
| 19 | JetBlue | United States | B6 |
| 20 | Alaska Airlines | United States | AS |
Find IATA code
Looking for the IATA code of a specific airport or airline not listed above? Through IATA’ s search module, you can easily find the official code associated with it.
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