ICAO Airfield Codes - any logic?
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ICAO Airfield Codes - any logic?
Why are most airfield codes apparently meaningless? Is there any logic to them? For instance, Wycombe/Booker = EGTB, Luton = EGGW etc.
I know the "E" is for northern Europe, and the G for Great Britain. But the last two letters???
Would be interested if anyone knows the history / logic behind these.
(Yes, its a boring afternoon in the office..!)
I know the "E" is for northern Europe, and the G for Great Britain. But the last two letters???
Would be interested if anyone knows the history / logic behind these.
(Yes, its a boring afternoon in the office..!)
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Ok here is the apparent although now not so obvious reasoning behind UK codes. Originally the 'major' airfields were given paired letters the same. ie SS=Stansted, BB=Birmingham AA=Aldergrove CC=Manchester (why?) FF=Cardif etc. JJ=Jersey. The plan was then that airfields close to these would retain the third letter and then have the fourth allocated in a sensible way.
So EGJJ = Jersey JA Alderney, JB Guernsey
EGHH = Bournemouth (Hurn) with its "satellites", HA Compton Abbas, HJ Bembridge, HN Sandown, HR Goodwood, HI Southampton etc. EGP- was reserved for Scotland. I know we have moved away from the 'rules' now but that was the original idea hence KK- Gatwick but it still does not answer why Luton is GW!!
PS
EGTT is teh ICAO designator for London ATCC hence why EGT? is used close to London.
So EGJJ = Jersey JA Alderney, JB Guernsey
EGHH = Bournemouth (Hurn) with its "satellites", HA Compton Abbas, HJ Bembridge, HN Sandown, HR Goodwood, HI Southampton etc. EGP- was reserved for Scotland. I know we have moved away from the 'rules' now but that was the original idea hence KK- Gatwick but it still does not answer why Luton is GW!!
PS
EGTT is teh ICAO designator for London ATCC hence why EGT? is used close to London.
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I can never remember the airfield codes while I'm flying, and despair of finding a system. Except, that is, for Fowlmere, EGMA, where, whether by design or happy coincidence, the MA stands for Modern Air, the resident operator. Nice people, incidentally.
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buzby15
Historically and before technology overtook events the double letter referred to the 'Parent Station' on the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN) which had a network of main hubs, each of which had spokes to other airfields. Therefore the system would use the third letter to know what 'hub' to route the message to, that hub would then look at the fourth letter and pass the data to the appropriate 'spoke'. This system could not have been in use too long though because the likes of EGGP and EGGW are nowhere near each other geographically.
Historically and before technology overtook events the double letter referred to the 'Parent Station' on the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN) which had a network of main hubs, each of which had spokes to other airfields. Therefore the system would use the third letter to know what 'hub' to route the message to, that hub would then look at the fourth letter and pass the data to the appropriate 'spoke'. This system could not have been in use too long though because the likes of EGGP and EGGW are nowhere near each other geographically.
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EGSX = North Weald which is in Essex or ......S X 
Although I would have thought that Luton should really have Southends ID of EGMC seeing as Luton is home to Vauxhall Motors which is part of General Motors also know as...GMC
Although I would have thought that Luton should really have Southends ID of EGMC seeing as Luton is home to Vauxhall Motors which is part of General Motors also know as...GMC
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I have been told that origionally it went from west to east and south to north.
In scotland it does work.... PF (gla) further east PG (Cumbernauld) , then PH (edi). Further north and west again PI (islay) then east again to PJ (Fife).
However as more airfields get added then this system it gradually goes out the window!!
Dunno if its true or not but thats what I was told by a usually reliable "old timer". Mind you maybe his memory was just fading at the time.....
In scotland it does work.... PF (gla) further east PG (Cumbernauld) , then PH (edi). Further north and west again PI (islay) then east again to PJ (Fife).
However as more airfields get added then this system it gradually goes out the window!!
Dunno if its true or not but thats what I was told by a usually reliable "old timer". Mind you maybe his memory was just fading at the time.....
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That was the original logic, which has gone out of the window more recently.
EGU. and onwards (and a few others) were military, same concept.
Then EGE. was used for the Scottie airfields (later on).
Then EGSY, which ought to be near Stansted (EGSS) was allocated to Sheffield and the whole system went awry.
Some joint civil/mil fields had two locator codes (eg Manston was EGUM for Mil, and is still EGMH for civil).
The French system is very similar - LFP. is Paris, LFO. the North West of France, LFB. Bordeaux area, etc.
Belgium, the Netherlands, and several others didn't bother with all that. EBOS is Ostend, EHAM is Amsterdam, ELLX Luxemburg, and so on.
The things I do on long dark nights...
EGU. and onwards (and a few others) were military, same concept.
Then EGE. was used for the Scottie airfields (later on).
Then EGSY, which ought to be near Stansted (EGSS) was allocated to Sheffield and the whole system went awry.
Some joint civil/mil fields had two locator codes (eg Manston was EGUM for Mil, and is still EGMH for civil).
The French system is very similar - LFP. is Paris, LFO. the North West of France, LFB. Bordeaux area, etc.
Belgium, the Netherlands, and several others didn't bother with all that. EBOS is Ostend, EHAM is Amsterdam, ELLX Luxemburg, and so on.
The things I do on long dark nights...
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Re: ICAO Airfield Codes - any logic?
Ausie,
In the US most airports try to have the letters that match the airport name.
Now the real puzzle are some of the GPS approach fix names that no one can pronounce. My theory is that the office in charge of making up names has the letter pieces from an old scrabble game. They pull 5 pieces out of the bag, and if another fix doesn't already have that sequence of letters for a name, it wins that unpronounceable name.
Mike
In the US most airports try to have the letters that match the airport name.
Now the real puzzle are some of the GPS approach fix names that no one can pronounce. My theory is that the office in charge of making up names has the letter pieces from an old scrabble game. They pull 5 pieces out of the bag, and if another fix doesn't already have that sequence of letters for a name, it wins that unpronounceable name.
Mike
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In former West Germany all airfileds began with ED (D=Deutschland) and East Germany with ET... after the wall fell it was decided to try to also adjust the codes. It was decided that all civilian fields get the ED, the military fields the ET. This meant in some cases only changing the second letter.
Here, too, the larger fields "influence" the code as much as possible (can't do much with only four letters): EDDF=Frankfurt, EDDS= Stuttgart, EDDR= Saarbrücken, EDDK= Köln (Cologne), etc. The neighboring fields then try to have one of those letters in the third position, with a "matching" forth letter: Egelsbach, which is right next to Frankfurt= EDFE, Mannheim, just south of Frankfurt= EDFM, Zweibrücken, just east of Saarbrücken= EDRZ, or Giessen-Luetzellinden, north of Frankfurt= EDFL, etc. But, like I said, because of the difficulty of having only 4 letters to work with, the combination doesn't always make sense, especially with the military fields: Wiesbaden next to Frankfurt: ETOU. But I'm sure there's some system behind that, too.
Just never figured out why France, Switzerland, and Austria begin with "L"... they do belong to Europe, don't they?
keep flying!
WestWind1950
Here, too, the larger fields "influence" the code as much as possible (can't do much with only four letters): EDDF=Frankfurt, EDDS= Stuttgart, EDDR= Saarbrücken, EDDK= Köln (Cologne), etc. The neighboring fields then try to have one of those letters in the third position, with a "matching" forth letter: Egelsbach, which is right next to Frankfurt= EDFE, Mannheim, just south of Frankfurt= EDFM, Zweibrücken, just east of Saarbrücken= EDRZ, or Giessen-Luetzellinden, north of Frankfurt= EDFL, etc. But, like I said, because of the difficulty of having only 4 letters to work with, the combination doesn't always make sense, especially with the military fields: Wiesbaden next to Frankfurt: ETOU. But I'm sure there's some system behind that, too.
Just never figured out why France, Switzerland, and Austria begin with "L"... they do belong to Europe, don't they?
keep flying!
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EGYP - UK Military. Bit like a BFPO address.
The "E" first letter is Northern Europe. Southern Europe is "L".
EG for UK, EH for "Holland", EB for Belgium, EL for Luxemburg, ED for Deutschland.
LF for France, LI for Italy, LE for España. Easy.
Go to North Africa and you're into "G" - hence GC = Canary Islands, and so on.
You'll never guess what US and Canadian ICAO codes use
I find it sad that I know this stuff.
The "E" first letter is Northern Europe. Southern Europe is "L".
EG for UK, EH for "Holland", EB for Belgium, EL for Luxemburg, ED for Deutschland.
LF for France, LI for Italy, LE for España. Easy.
Go to North Africa and you're into "G" - hence GC = Canary Islands, and so on.
You'll never guess what US and Canadian ICAO codes use
I find it sad that I know this stuff.
