---
title: "AKL is which airport? Auckland"
description: "AKL is Auckland Airport in Auckland, New Zealand. Why the code is AKL and not something you could guess, what NZAA means, and the codes it gets mixed up with."
url: https://atoneplace.net/airport/akl/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What airport is AKL?

**AKL is: Auckland Airport**

Auckland, New Zealand

## Why the code is AKL

AucKLand.

The airport authority or a contemporaneous record states this directly.

## The airport

- **IATA code:** AKL
- **ICAO code:** NZAA
- **Airport:** Auckland Airport
- **City:** Auckland, New Zealand
- **Code origin:** Documented

Auckland is the most isolated major international airport in the world by distance to the next one, and it has some of the strictest biosecurity screening anywhere — arriving passengers are asked about hiking boots and the answer matters.

## The other code, NZAA

Every airport has two codes. The three-letter IATA code, AKL, is the one on your boarding pass and your luggage tag, and it is assigned for commercial use. The four-letter ICAO code, NZAA, is the one pilots and controllers use, and it is assigned geographically: the first letter or two identify the region, so every airport in the same part of the world shares a prefix. That is why NZAA looks nothing like AKL.

## Common questions

### What airport is AKL?

Auckland Airport, in Auckland, New Zealand.

### Why is Auckland's airport called AKL?

AucKLand.

### What is the difference between AKL and NZAA?

AKL is the IATA code, used commercially — tickets, timetables, luggage tags. NZAA is the ICAO code, used operationally by pilots and air traffic control, and assigned geographically by region.

## Related pages

- [New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country/new-zealand/)
- [The flag of New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/flag/new-zealand/)
- [Airport codes in New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/airport/in/new-zealand/)

## Sources

- OurAirports — OurAirports (https://ourairports.com/data/) [Public domain]