Old Airport Codes
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Old Airport Codes
Mumbai (BOM) Kolkata (CCU) Chennai (MAA) Beijing(PEK) are a few examples of airports retaining their IATA codes when the name of the city changed (or reverted to its pre-Colonial name). Does anyone know why Harare, formerly Salisbury, is now HRE? What was the airport code before the country became Zimbabwe? Why didn't they keep the old code?
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From: Reading, UK
I think it was SAY
Presumably the aim was to remove any relics of the former colonial past, I would guess they made IATA an offer they couldn't refuse.
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Gosh, that was quick! Thanks. 
SAY is now Siena which used to be an old USAF airbase during WWll.
I can understand Rubber Dinghy wanting to eradicate all traces of British colonialism; just wondered how he did it and the Indian government didn't.
SAY is now Siena which used to be an old USAF airbase during WWll.
I can understand Rubber Dinghy wanting to eradicate all traces of British colonialism; just wondered how he did it and the Indian government didn't.
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Nearer to home
Heathrow was once LON and I'm pretty sure flying back for Mahon to East MIdlands in 1975 our bags were tagged CDD or CDN for Castle Donington.
Heathrow was once LON and I'm pretty sure flying back for Mahon to East MIdlands in 1975 our bags were tagged CDD or CDN for Castle Donington.
Last edited by Airbanda; 24th October 2012 at 15:39.
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From: Reading, UK
Heathrow was once LON and I'm pretty sure flying back for Mahon to East MIdlands in 1975 our bags were tagged CDD or CDN for Castle Donington.
LON preceding LHR must have been before my time, though I do recall in my youth when the road signs for Heathrow said simply "London Airport".
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LON is still in use as the IATA city code (town office) for London. Other city codes are PAR for Paris, NYC for New York etc.
Then there is Baghdad - used to be BGW, then became SDA for Sadam Intl. & has now reverted to BGW.
Then there is Baghdad - used to be BGW, then became SDA for Sadam Intl. & has now reverted to BGW.
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From: Reading, UK
LON is the Metropolitan London collective IATA code, not an airport collective.
But AFAIK, the only codes that "belong" to LON in the IATA world are the 6 airports: LHR, LGW, STN, LCY, LTN, SEN.
LHR once had LAP applied.
Of course LAP is now the IATA code for La Paz (the Mexican one, not the Bolivian capital), but I don't know how long that's been allocated for.
Anyone have an early IATA Coding Manual in their archives ?
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From: The South of France ... Not
Anyone have an early IATA Coding Manual in their archives ?
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From: London UK
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If YYZ can refer to Toronto (there is, by the way, logic behind this, which I have explained previously) then anything can be used !
It is surprising however that cities where major political changes lead to name changes (Saigon, Leningrad, etc) still refer to the "old days" a generation or more afterwards. It's not as if changes are impossible, but they just seem to not take place very often. It does seem that IDL became JFK almost at the same point as the airport name changed. Fortunately this has not spread to the current US fashion of politicians renaming airports after themselves, eg Atlanta, where they seem to like to rename it and re-rename it after various Mayors in succession.
It is surprising however that cities where major political changes lead to name changes (Saigon, Leningrad, etc) still refer to the "old days" a generation or more afterwards. It's not as if changes are impossible, but they just seem to not take place very often. It does seem that IDL became JFK almost at the same point as the airport name changed. Fortunately this has not spread to the current US fashion of politicians renaming airports after themselves, eg Atlanta, where they seem to like to rename it and re-rename it after various Mayors in succession.
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From: 39N 77W
MSY (Moisant Field) is still the code for Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
From Giggle: The airport was originally named after daredevil aviator John Moisant, who died in 1910 in an airplane crash on this land (which was devoted to farming at the time). Its IATA code MSY was derived from Moisant Stock Yard
From Giggle: The airport was originally named after daredevil aviator John Moisant, who died in 1910 in an airplane crash on this land (which was devoted to farming at the time). Its IATA code MSY was derived from Moisant Stock Yard
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From: Hertfordshire, UK.
In South Africa, whilst all the airports have been renamed from White politicians to Black politicians, their 3-ltr codes are all based on the city name:
Johannesburg - JNB
Cape Town - CPT
Durban - DBN
and so on. However, some cities are begining with name changes. The first that is being pushed is the capital, Pretoria to be Tshwane but there is no airport. The provinces have mostly changed their name with 'Traansvall' going. Originally, in 1994, all airports lost ehir white politician names and became just the city name So Jan Smuts International became Johannsburg International but then they reversed the policy and brought in names.
I don't think they will want to change Joburg or Cape Town city names as they are not associated with former white rulers. Pretoia was named for Andries Pretorius, a Boer leader. My guess is that will become Mandela City or something similar.
Sorry for the long answer but I lived in Pretoria for ten years and still have family there.
Johannesburg - JNB
Cape Town - CPT
Durban - DBN
and so on. However, some cities are begining with name changes. The first that is being pushed is the capital, Pretoria to be Tshwane but there is no airport. The provinces have mostly changed their name with 'Traansvall' going. Originally, in 1994, all airports lost ehir white politician names and became just the city name So Jan Smuts International became Johannsburg International but then they reversed the policy and brought in names.
I don't think they will want to change Joburg or Cape Town city names as they are not associated with former white rulers. Pretoia was named for Andries Pretorius, a Boer leader. My guess is that will become Mandela City or something similar.
Sorry for the long answer but I lived in Pretoria for ten years and still have family there.
Last edited by PAXboy; 25th October 2012 at 21:02.
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From: London UK
K and W starters were also suppressed in the US, hence Kansas City (MKC) to avoid confusion with already established US radio station codes, which all start with K or W.
Last edited by WHBM; 25th October 2012 at 16:59.
