---
title: "DEN is which airport? Denver"
description: "DEN is Denver International Airport in Denver, United States. Why the code is DEN and not something you could guess, plus the codes it gets mixed up with."
url: https://atoneplace.net/airport/den/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What airport is DEN?

**DEN is: Denver International Airport**

Denver, United States

## Why the code is DEN

The first three letters of Denver, inherited from Stapleton when that airport closed.

The airport authority or a contemporaneous record states this directly.

## The airport

- **IATA code:** DEN
- **ICAO code:** KDEN
- **Airport:** Denver International Airport
- **City:** Denver, United States
- **Opened:** 1995
- **Code origin:** Documented

It is the largest airport in the western hemisphere by land area, roughly twice the size of Manhattan, and the runways are that far apart because at 1,655 m of elevation aircraft need more of them. The automated baggage system it opened with failed so comprehensively that it delayed the whole airport by sixteen months and was abandoned entirely in 2005.

## Codes it used to have

| Code | Until | What happened |
| --- | --- | --- |
| DEN | — | The code moved with the city, from Stapleton International to the new field 25 miles further out in 1995. |

## The other code, KDEN

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

## Common questions

### What airport is DEN?

Denver International Airport, in Denver, United States.

### Why is Denver's airport called DEN?

The first three letters of Denver, inherited from Stapleton when that airport closed.

### What is the difference between DEN and KDEN?

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

## 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 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/)