Origin of airport country prefixes

[Zonkor]

I'm wondering who an me when these were defined by what rules:

K: US (why "K"?)
EG: UK ("G"reat Britain?)
ED: Germany ("D"eutschland?)
LF: France
LS: Switzerland

BTW, why do UK/Germany start with "E", but France/Switzerland with "L"?

A related question is about country prefixes in airplane identifiers. Were these defined by ICAO?

Thanks,

Michael

[Jan Olieslagers]

The most basic of web searches could have found you https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Civil_Aviation_Organization_airport_code

For some more interesting examples, look into the BKxx and ETxx series.

[Zonkor]

You're right, of course. My Google-fu was not up to scratch today.

Sorry for the unnecessary post and thanks for the extra trivia.

Michael

[TheOddOne]

BTW, why do UK/Germany start with "E", but France/Switzerland with "L"?

E is Northern Europe
L is for Latin Europe (eg those countries closer to the Mediterranean)

Incidentally, the EGXX identifiers work like this

EGLL (for London Airport) is a 'mother' aerodrome, whilst EGLD (Denham) is a 'daughter'. I think this dates back to the time when telex messages were sent to a main aerodrome for re-distribution. Look for other examples such as EGSS (Stansted) EGKK (Gatwick) EGHH (Bournemouth - Hurn, hence the HH) etc etc. Latterly, TT is used for more recent additions (EGTP for Perranporth) and some military bases have EGDX (EGDR for RNAS Culdrose, EGDG for RAF St. Mawgan). When as part of the latter became Newquay Airport, they were assigned a Hurn daughter code, EGHQ (most aerodromes West of Bournemouth have a 'H' code, but there are anomalies, Bodmin is EGLA, how did that happen???)

The Unites States have a far simpler system. Each airport has an IATA (International Air Transport Association) 3-letter code, which you will see on your luggage label. The Americans simply add a 'K' to the IATA code to produce the ICAO code eg MCO (Orlando) becomes KMCO. Simple!

PS London Airport is on the A4 Bath Road and is otherwise known as Heath Row, 2 separate words (or LHR on your luggage tag) Beware if imitations!!! (London-Gatwick, London-Luton, London-Stansted, London - practically everywhere else in the South-East!!!)

TOO

[India Four Two]

The Unites States have a far simpler system. Each airport has an IATA (International Air Transport Association) 3-letter code, which you will see on your luggage label. The Americans simply add a 'K' to the IATA code to produce the ICAO code eg MCO (Orlando) becomes KMCO. Simple!You would think Canada's system of adding C to the IATA code would be simple too, except for historical reasons, mainly to do with weather stations, we have names like CYYR, CYYT, CYYC, CYYZ, etc.

The only airfield in this sequence which is not a major airport, is CYYM - Cowley Alberta. A grass strip, nowadays used only for glider wave-flying, but originally was an emergency landing ground for TCA's Lockheed Electras, if bad weather precluded a flight westwards through the Rockies.

[n5296s]

The one in the UK that I like most is EGGW for.... well, Luton, obviously. I mean, who could ever find that misleading or confusing?

Not ALL US airports "just add K". Hawaii and Alaska are PH and PA respectively. Though conveniently, Honolulu (HNL) becomes PHNL and Anchorage (ANC) becomes PANC. There is also a tiny handful that just don't follow the rule, can't remember them offhand. Could be interesting if anyone ever started a commercial service into Henderson, Nevada (which is a GA reliever for Las Vegas) - KHND. I guess something would have to change and it probably wouldn't be Haneda (RJTT, but you guessed that already).

[vintage ATCO]

Luton was EGLN prior to 1967 when it was connected by AFTN to Heathrow Coms centre EGLL. Similarly Elstree was EGLE. Then this new fangled Coms Centre at Croydon was opened EGGG so Luton became EGGW. Elstree was connected to West Drayton EGTT so became EGTR.

[LowNSlow]

Or you can get a code with your initials in it like EGMJ, the marvellous Little Gransden, owned/run by the inimitable Mark Jeffries. Magic!!

[Tinstaafl]

Only US airports that have a 3 letter IATA code get the 'K' treatment. Other strips eg private ones etc, get a 3 digit number/letter assigned to them.

Bahamas' codes are based on the UK system, but modified to identify the island group:

MY for Caribbean/Bahamas

3rd letter for the island eg N for New Providence, A for Abaco, G for Grand Bahama etc

4th letter for the airport eg MYAM for Marsh Harbour, MYAT for Treasure Cay, MYNN for Nassau, MYGF for Freeport.

It works well, once you understand the logic.

[chevvron]

I can remember Bermuda/Kindley Field when it was MXKF (now TXKF)

[welkyboy]

Who else remembers GALA (London(Heathrow) prior to 1957?
GAHC was Southend, ONOS Ostend, FFLT Le Touquet, PAAM Amsterdam are a few I was brought up with in my early days in ATC

[FlightDetent]

Is there some sort of logic for designators in Italy? I mean: LIPX, LIPZ?
Aaaah, nevermind...

[fujii]

Little Rock National Airport (ICAO code KLIT)

[Jan Olieslagers]

Is there some sort of logic for designators in Italy?

Looking for logic (in a "northern" sense) in Italy is a curious idea... Better go look for poetry there.

[Sam Rutherford]

I'm sure I can this thread down into the gutter.

NCE - WBQ

Val de Caes - Vance Air Force Base

Fly safe! :p

[Victorian]

Little Rock National Airport (ICAO code KLIT)

Officially known until recently as Bill and Hillary Clinton airport, it was being referred to by its old name of Adams Field when I was there in May. Not sure why the change, but the innuendo implied above is probably not the reason!

[bookmark]

Is there some sort of logic for designators in Italy? I mean: LIPX, LIPZ?
Aaaah, nevermind...

you sure?

@jan
now, now

[n5296s]

Nice little trivia question... which airport's ICAO code is the same as its name?

Answer tomorrow if nobody gets it.

[xrayalpha]

So Glasgow (Prestwick) is EGPK - P restwic K ?
Glasgow International (50 years old this year) is EGPF
but Glasgow (Cumbernauld!) is EGPG - wouldn't it have been easier to give this to Glasgow International and make Cumbernauld EGPF?
Edinburgh is EGPH - couldn't it be EGPE, but that is Inverness. Which could have been EGPH for Highlands, since I suppose Islay got EGPI (but could have been EGPW for Whisky?!)
But then EGPW is for Unst, since EGPU is for Tiree!

Aaargh! None of it makes sense - except that, fromwest to east it is Glasgow Int (EGPF) Glasgow Cumbernauld (EGPG) and Glasgow East (Edinburgh EGPH)

And there doesn't seem to be an EGPP master station - unless that was the old Renfrew?

[flydive1]

Is there some sort of logic for designators in Italy? I mean: LIPX, LIPZ?
Aaaah, nevermind...

L=southern Europe
I=Italy
P=Padova area
Then a letter for the airport.

[Local Variation]

Gloucestershire (EGBJ) always raises a titter when we book out to go their and Leicester, EGeeBeeGee rolls well off the tongue.

Is the trivia question answer KJFK?

[n5296s]

> Is the trivia question answer KJFK?

No although it's certainly a good try. Nor KLAX. (Clue: the airport in question has a four letter name).

Another good trivia question: which airport's code is the same letter repeated 4 times? (Only 1 afaik).

[eckhard]

MMMM
Morelia Gral.Francisco J. Mujica
MLM

[India Four Two]

Hanoi Noi Bai International VVVV / HAN

[fatmanmedia]

you are aware that this thread has descended into the world of super geekiness.

God, I love these types of threads.

I agree that Scottish airport prefixes are somewhat stupid in that they make no sense, but when has there ever been any sense in the aviation world.

Fats

[n5296s]

Wikipedia and Flightaware both show Noi Ban as VVNB...?

I quite like MUHA, sounds like a super-villain just getting starting on his trademark super-villain laugh. So it's kind of appropriate that its Havana.

MYAS (Sandy Point, Bahamas) has a certain schoolboy humour to it.

British airport codes really seem to have been invented by an anal compulsive with a bad hangover. I mean, in what respect is it helpful that the third letter reflects the communication centre that the airport is (well, was once) associated with? And you have to admit that making EGGW be anything other than Gatwick shows, at best, a slightly sadistic sense of humour.

Not that Australia is a lot better. Having the unusual advantage of a single-letter country code, they could have followed the example of the US or Canada: YSYD, YMEL. But they went for a geographic system like the UK - YS for Syndey, YM for Melbourne, etc. But they could STILL have had YSYD and YMEL, instead of YSSY and YMML. But I guess that didn't fit in with the OCD handbook.

Of course to want the job of assigning airport codes you probably need a fair degree of OCD. And it's better than inventing IEC battery designator codes, that nobody even uses.

[Jan Olieslagers]

Trouble is, UK (and France and Germany also) have such a lot of fields that the available 26x26 codes scarcely suffice. France introduced numbered codes like LF5922 for its smaller fields, and Germany found ETxx becoming available, reserving those for military fields. But Germany and the UK have lots of fields with no code at all.
Smaller countries like my own have so few aerodromes that more or less logical codes can and do get assigned. Even then, to understand my own EBZH code one must realise it refers to the village of Zonhoven...

[The Ancient Geek]

Many UK codes make more sense when you know their history.
Most were originally RAF wartime fields named after a nearby village. After WW2 they became civil or multi-use fields and the name changed to the nearst town or city.
Hence RAF Trevellas became Trevellas Perranporth EGTP, later shortened to Perranporth.

[Maoraigh1]

Did UK Scottish codes start as alphabetical from north zig-zagging east west, last letter for early civil airfields?? EGPx. Then military airfields became civil. Then later airfields were EGEx. A guess - there appears to be more than one pattern.

[Steve6443]

For Germany, a similar plan for identifiers was used as in UK and it works as follows:

ED (Europe, Deutschland)

The next letter for all the major international airports is always the letter D; the final letter is the initial of the nearest town or suburb - e.g Münster Osnabrück is close to Greven hence the final letter is G, it's full identifier is EDDG. Düsseldorf Airport is close to the suburb of Lohausen so their identifier is EDDL.

The surrounding airports then take the third letter of their identifier from the last letter of the identifier of the closest major international airport so Dortmund is close to Düsseldorf, therefore the third letter is an L; the final letter of the identifier comes from the name of the closest village / suburb (Wickede) W hence Dortmund's identifier is EDLW.

Handy if you know which small village the airfield was built next to, but unfortunately, as with everything in life, there are exceptions....