---
title: "DCA is which airport? Washington"
description: "DCA is Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, United States. Where the code comes from, and the codes it gets mixed up with."
url: https://atoneplace.net/airport/dca/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What airport is DCA?

**DCA is: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport**

Washington, United States

## Why the code is DCA

District of Columbia Airport — although the runways are physically in Virginia.

The airport authority or a contemporaneous record states this directly.

## The airport

- **IATA code:** DCA
- **ICAO code:** KDCA
- **Airport:** Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
- **City:** Washington, United States
- **Opened:** 1941
- **Code origin:** Documented

The land was declared part of the District of Columbia when the airport was built, then ruled to be in Virginia by Congress in 1945 for jurisdictional purposes; the code had already been assigned. It has a 1,250-mile perimeter rule and one of the most constrained approaches in the country, following the Potomac in a curve to avoid restricted airspace over the city.

## Codes people book by mistake

| Code | What it actually is |
| --- | --- |
| IAD | Dulles, 26 miles further out. The two codes exist in their present form specifically to stop people confusing them. |

## The other code, KDCA

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

## Common questions

### What airport is DCA?

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Washington, United States.

### Why is Washington's airport called DCA?

District of Columbia Airport — although the runways are physically in Virginia.

### What is the difference between DCA and KDCA?

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

### Is DCA the same as IAD?

No. IAD is dulles, 26 miles further out. The two codes exist in their present form specifically to stop people confusing them.

## Related pages

- [United States](https://atoneplace.net/country/united-states/)
- [The flag of United States](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-states/)
- [Airport codes in United States](https://atoneplace.net/airport/in/united-states/)
- [What airport is IAD?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/iad/)
- [What airport is JFK?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/jfk/)
- [What airport is LAX?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/lax/)
- [What airport is ORD?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/ord/)
- [What airport is ATL?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/atl/)
- [What airport is MCO?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/mco/)
- [What airport is DFW?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/dfw/)
- [What airport is EWR?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/ewr/)
- [What airport is SFO?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/sfo/)

## Sources

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