What airport is BKK?
Why the code is BKK
BangKoK. The code moved from Don Mueang when Suvarnabhumi opened.
The airport authority or a contemporaneous record states this directly.
The airport
- IATA code
- BKK
- ICAO code
- VTBS
- Airport
- Suvarnabhumi Airport
- City
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Opened
- 2006
- Code origin
- Documented
Suvarnabhumi is built on land known as Cobra Swamp, which is what the site was called for decades before someone chose a Sanskrit name meaning "golden land". Don Mueang, which it replaced, reopened for low-cost carriers in 2012 and is one of the oldest continuously operating airports anywhere.
Codes people book by mistake
| Code | What it actually is |
|---|---|
| DMK | Don Mueang, Bangkok's older airport, now the low-cost base. An hour across the city from BKK. |
The other code, VTBS
Every airport has two codes. The three-letter IATA code, BKK, is the one on your boarding pass and your luggage tag, and it is assigned for commercial use. The four-letter ICAO code, VTBS, 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 VTBS looks nothing like BKK.
Common questions
- What airport is BKK?
- Suvarnabhumi Airport, in Bangkok, Thailand.
- Why is Bangkok's airport called BKK?
- BangKoK. The code moved from Don Mueang when Suvarnabhumi opened.
- What is the difference between BKK and VTBS?
- BKK is the IATA code, used commercially — tickets, timetables, luggage tags. VTBS is the ICAO code, used operationally by pilots and air traffic control, and assigned geographically by region.
- Is BKK the same as DMK?
- No. DMK is don Mueang, Bangkok's older airport, now the low-cost base. An hour across the city from BKK.
Related pages
- Thailand Capital, area, population and currency
- The flag of Thailand Colours, symbols and lookalikes
- Airport codes in Thailand 1 here
Sources
- OurAirports — OurAirports (Public domain)