---
title: "AMS is which airport? Amsterdam"
description: "AMS is Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Why the code is AMS and not something you could guess, plus the codes it gets mixed up with."
url: https://atoneplace.net/airport/ams/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What airport is AMS?

**AMS is: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol**

Amsterdam, Netherlands

## Why the code is AMS

The first three letters of Amsterdam.

The airport authority or a contemporaneous record states this directly.

## The airport

- **IATA code:** AMS
- **ICAO code:** EHAM
- **Airport:** Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
- **City:** Amsterdam, Netherlands
- **Opened:** 1916
- **Code origin:** Documented

Schiphol sits about 3 metres below sea level, in what was the Haarlemmermeer, a lake drained in the nineteenth century. The name means "ship hole" and refers to the ships wrecked on the lake before it was drained. It is one of the few major airports where every gate is in a single connected terminal.

## The other code, EHAM

Every airport has two codes. The three-letter IATA code, AMS, is the one on your boarding pass and your luggage tag, and it is assigned for commercial use. The four-letter ICAO code, EHAM, 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 EHAM looks nothing like AMS.

## Common questions

### What airport is AMS?

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

### Why is Amsterdam's airport called AMS?

The first three letters of Amsterdam.

### What is the difference between AMS and EHAM?

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

## Related pages

- [Netherlands](https://atoneplace.net/country/netherlands/)
- [The flag of Netherlands](https://atoneplace.net/flag/netherlands/)
- [Airport codes in Netherlands](https://atoneplace.net/airport/in/netherlands/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)