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

# What airport is EWR?

**EWR is: Newark Liberty International Airport**

Newark, United States

## Why the code is EWR

The letters of nEWaRk. The obvious code, NEW, was unavailable because N was reserved.

The airport authority or a contemporaneous record states this directly.

## The airport

- **IATA code:** EWR
- **ICAO code:** KEWR
- **Airport:** Newark Liberty International Airport
- **City:** Newark, United States
- **Opened:** 1928
- **Code origin:** Documented

The US Navy holds every radio call sign beginning with N, which is why no American airport code starts with one and why Newark could not be NEW. EWR takes the E, W and R from the name instead. Newark was the first major airport serving New York City and for a while the busiest in the world, until LaGuardia opened in 1939 and took the traffic.

## The other code, KEWR

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

## Common questions

### What airport is EWR?

Newark Liberty International Airport, in Newark, United States.

### Why is Newark's airport called EWR?

The letters of nEWaRk. The obvious code, NEW, was unavailable because N was reserved.

### What is the difference between EWR and KEWR?

EWR is the IATA code, used commercially — tickets, timetables, luggage tags. KEWR 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 SFO?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/sfo/)
- [What airport is LGA?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/lga/)

## Sources

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