

The Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN) forms part of AFS and uses the ICAO 4 letter location indicator as the initial part of the address.

AFS is a telecommunication service between specified fixed points provided primarily for the safety of air navigation and for the regular, efficient operation of air services. A list of addresses of centres in charge of flight information regions (FIRs) and upper flight information regions (UIRs) is also included in the document.įour-letter location indicators are planned and assigned to identify the geographical areas where a station is forming part of the Aeronautical Fixed Service (AFS). ICAO’s Location Indicators (Doc 7910) contains listings of ICAO’s four-letter location indicators as well as the corresponding three-character IATA location identifier codes.
IATA CITY CODES CODE
Airport codes starting with “K” designate American airports – here there is a relationship between the ICAO and IATA codes since US airport ICAO codes are defined using “K” and then including the 3-letter IATA code, so New York’s John F Kennedy International airport is “KJFK” since the IATA 3-letter code is just “JFK”. Larger countries may have an initial letter dedicated to them, for example, Canadian airport codes start with “C.” Montreal/Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport would be CYUL–the “C” is for Canada, and “YUL” is the specific airport code. Barcelona’s Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport’s ICAO code is LEBL– “L” denoting southern Europe, “E” for Spain (Espana) and finally “BL” for Barcelona. In Europe, codes begin with either an E (northern Europe,) B (Iceland and Kosovo), L (southern Europe). The second shows the country within that larger region, and the remaining two letters are a two-letter abbreviation. The airport codes can also refer to the city’s initials–HKG for Hong Kong or SLC for Salt Lake City.įor many ICAO codes, the first letter refers to a larger region.

For example, ATL is the location identifier for the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and MEX is used for Mexico City. IATA airport codes are often based on the first three letters of the airport’s city. IATA codes, also referred to as IATA location identifiers, are three-letter codes primarily used to identify airports but which can also refer to bus stations, ferry terminals, rail stations and helipads that are involved in intermodal travel.
