Company Callsigns

[IRRenewal]

Apologies if this has been asked before, but I searched the archives and could not find the answer.

How do you get a Company Callsign? Are there any restrictions on the callsign used? For instance, would 'speedybird' be allowed, or would that be considered too much like BA's. Is there a searchable database anywhere on the web.

Any info appreciated.

Regards

[PakoSpain]

Try this:http://www.pilotpointer.com/airlinecodeall.phtml
Regards
Pako

[Bright-Ling]

My first response would be that ICAO would say no way to that particular addition.

But from the people that brought us Swiss and Swisswings I guess anything could happen!!!

B-L

[Traffic Magnet]

I've heard company callsigns be confused that you think never could be. "Quality" and "Kuwaiti" is one example. To the ears of the crew over the RT they were fairly similar. Oh, yes the numbers in the callsigns were the same that day. An unpleasant situation to be in!

[straccaletto]

consider that now as now for the controller working at the radar position we still read SWR like swissair and CRX like crossair but the new call sign is swiss. Exactly the same of Zurich and Geneva upper sectors , above FL300, since 21 march; so you see a crx label and you say: Swiss2552 contact swiss 124.03" .
Call yourself is faster!!!
Fantasy gaining power
Ciao

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

The CRX "Swiss" thing is utterly, damnably, stupid. If they must have the "swiss" bit in the callsign why on earth can't they just call themselves "Swissair"?? If ONLY the extraordinary fools in the smart suits could be made to work a busy radar position one day.....

[WX Man]

Just a gripe from someone learning all the callsigns at the moment... what the **** is the point in appending 'air' to callsigns? Air India? Air Lanka? Air Malta? Why not just 'Indian', 'Lanka', or 'Maltese'???!!!:confused:

[niknak]

Wx Man, I don't know the definitive answer, but it's ineviatable that atco's will shorten callsigns to maximise r/t usage, and I once inadertantly called Pakistan033 "Paki033", the crew were gracious enough not say a word but I can guess what they were thinking.:)

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

WX Man. Guess you'e new to aviation but believe me they're no trouble to get used to... and I'm not aware that I ever had to "learn" them. In the examples given I think they are the proper names of the airlines... so what do other airlines in India do? All call themselves "India"? What are all UK airlines s'posed to do? All call themselves "British"? C'mon..!

[Ahh-40612]

Hi All

Gripe that gets to me - how can any operator get an Icao company RT callsign for operating PA28's etc??

Seems to be the smaller the company the bigger the callsign.

Should be a minimum size of aircraft or minimum number of seats or cargo capacity.

C525 the other day - CLU1269 - over a thousand flights for the day???

How about GBJ - Global Jet plus 4 digits - Beech 200!!! Trades Description Act could apply although I realise it is a turbo-prop.

Tired and emotional now.

[BEXIL160]

When good old "MAC40612" became "REACH 40612" (or more likely REACH 817L or some such nonsense) the USAF had the sense to change the designator on the FPL to "RCH" ("M" had been used before). Result : I didn't keep calling C141s "MAC".

Roll forward a few years to the present. CRX is still on Cuckoo Clock Airlines' flight plans and yet they insist on calling themselves "SWISS"...... except that I and everybody else slip back into calling them CROSSAIR when we're busy 'cos CRX is written BIG (ish) letters in front of me, not a letter "S" anywhere.

PLEASE change either your callsign to fit the designator, or the designator to fit the Callsign. Suggestion: SWR is not in use;)

RGDS BEX

[sony backhander]

if i do one more busy session on radar and a CRX pilot doesn't answer to "swiss" ......
Where are those 1261's?!
I have to also say that the words "sharpest tool in the box" don't normally apply either.

[fourthreethree]

Same problem with DAT pilots not responding, or is it just moi?
:rolleyes: They always respond to "Sabena" though.......

[atco-matic]

the CRX not replying to Swiss happened the other day at work, and in the end a ploit but firm fone call was made to CRX ops, who wanted to know the actual callsigns... so presumably the pilots got electric shocks thru the control column to wake them up or something!

[sony backhander]

call me old fashioned, but it surely is far less confusing to have different company names AS WELL as numbers-
i refer to CFE becoming BAW, BRY becoming BRT etc.
I don't care what colour the plane is so why do atc have to endure these corporate ident' changes?

[Kew]

Or how about a SAB207 and a SAB2072 on the line, at the same time...
One more reason probably there not flying anymore :p

[straccaletto]

I still remember an Air Littoral turning on heading assigned to another acft with the same number but different company.
In that case the carrier ops office is not responsible but it's a rare situation. Normally the planners lack of fantasy is incredible; I still remember that 2 years ago the FTI from all around germany to south Italy shore resorts where numbered something like 616/626/636/666/676 and all arriving at the same sector at the same time. The same happens every night with the mail flights to and from LIRF which call sign start with AZA and end with P , the numbers between depending on dep a/d (aza155P, aza165P, aza145P etc.).
I hope that in the future the carrier will put more attention on this safety related problem.
P.S. : we have a possibility: to change the callsign of an acft in contact if deemed necessary; I used it twice for the happyness of the crews involved and MINE!!!
Straccaletto