--- title: "Airport codes — what each one actually stands for" description: "What airport is ORD, MCO, CVG or YYZ — and why the code is that and not something you could guess from the name of the city." url: https://atoneplace.net/airport/ site: "At One Place" --- # Airport codes 104 airport codes with what each one actually stands for. Most of them are not abbreviations of the airport at all — they are inherited from weather stations, railway telegraph offices, military bases and cities that have since changed their names. - [Why airport codes look nothing like the city](https://atoneplace.net/airport/why-codes-look-like-that/) — The reserved letters, the filler X, the Canadian Y, and why codes outlive names ## The codes that make no sense *74 of the 104 codes here do not begin with the first letters of the city they serve.* | Code | Airport | Where the code comes from | | --- | --- | --- | | JFK | John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York | The initials of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, assigned in 1963 when the airport was renamed for him. | | LAX | Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles | LA plus a filler X, added when two-letter codes were extended to three in the 1930s. | | ORD | O'Hare International Airport, Chicago | Orchard Place, the hamlet the airfield was built over, by way of its wartime name Orchard Field. The airport was renamed for Edward O'Hare in 1949; the code was not. | | LHR | Heathrow Airport, London | LondonHeathRow, using the consonants. | | CDG | Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris | The initials of Charles de Gaulle. | | DXB | Dubai International Airport, Dubai | DuBai plus an X used as a separator, following the same 1930s convention that produced LAX. | | MCO | Orlando International Airport, Orlando | McCoy Air Force Base, the Strategic Air Command base the civil airport was built alongside. | | DFW | Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Dallas | Dallas Fort Worth. The airport sits between the two cities because neither would let the other have it. | | EWR | Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark | The letters of nEWaRk. The obvious code, NEW, was unavailable because N was reserved. | | SFO | San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco | San FranciscO — the first two letters plus the last. | | YYZ | Toronto Pearson International Airport, Toronto | YZ was the telegraph identifier of the railway station at Malton, where the airport was built; the Y prefix is Canadian convention. | | LGA | LaGuardia Airport, New York | Fiorello La Guardia, the mayor who forced it into existence. | | HND | Tokyo Haneda Airport, Tokyo | HaNeDa, the district it sits in. | | LGW | Gatwick Airport, London | LondonGatWick, consonants again. | | HKG | Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong | Hong KonG. | | MSY | Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, New Orleans | Moisant Stock Yards — the land was a stockyard, and before that the field where the aviator John Moisant died in 1910. | | IAD | Washington Dulles International Airport, Washington | A deliberate scramble of DIA, which was too easily misread as DCA in handwriting. | | DCA | Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington | District of Columbia Airport — although the runways are physically in Virginia. | | IAH | George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston | Intercontinental Airport Houston, its name when the code was assigned. | | YVR | Vancouver International Airport, Vancouver | Y prefix plus VR for Vancouver. | | MUC | Munich Airport, Munich | MUniCh, the English name of the city, not the German München. | | FCO | Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport, Rome | FiumiCinO, the town it sits in, not Rome and not Leonardo. | | NRT | Narita International Airport, Tokyo | NaRiTa, the city it sits in, 60 km from Tokyo. | | ICN | Incheon International Airport, Seoul | InChoN, the city it sits in, 48 km west of Seoul. | ## United States - [JFK — John F. Kennedy International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/jfk/) — New York - [LAX — Los Angeles International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/lax/) — Los Angeles - [ORD — O'Hare International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/ord/) — Chicago - [ATL — Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/atl/) — Atlanta - [MCO — Orlando International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/mco/) — Orlando - [DFW — Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/dfw/) — Dallas - [EWR — Newark Liberty International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/ewr/) — Newark - [SFO — San Francisco International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/sfo/) — San Francisco - [LGA — LaGuardia Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/lga/) — New York - [DEN — Denver International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/den/) — Denver - [MIA — Miami International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/mia/) — Miami - [LAS — Harry Reid International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/las/) — Las Vegas - [SEA — Seattle-Tacoma International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/sea/) — Seattle - [MSY — Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/msy/) — New Orleans - [IAD — Washington Dulles International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/iad/) — Washington - [DCA — Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/dca/) — Washington - [BOS — Boston Logan International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/bos/) — Boston - [IAH — George Bush Intercontinental Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/iah/) — Houston - [BNA — Nashville International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/bna/) — Nashville - [PHX — Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/phx/) — Phoenix - [CLT — Charlotte Douglas International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/clt/) — Charlotte - [CVG — Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/cvg/) — Cincinnati - [PDX — Portland International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/pdx/) — Portland - [MSP — Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/msp/) — Minneapolis - [DTW — Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/dtw/) — Detroit - [HNL — Daniel K. Inouye International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/hnl/) — Honolulu - [BWI — Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/bwi/) — Baltimore - [MCI — Kansas City International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/mci/) — Kansas City - [SLC — Salt Lake City International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/slc/) — Salt Lake City - [SDF — Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/sdf/) — Louisville - [ANC — Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/anc/) — Anchorage - [SNA — John Wayne Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/sna/) — Santa Ana - [All 32 in United States](https://atoneplace.net/airport/in/united-states/) ## Canada - [YYZ — Toronto Pearson International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yyz/) — Toronto - [YVR — Vancouver International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yvr/) — Vancouver - [YUL — Montréal-Trudeau International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yul/) — Montreal - [YYC — Calgary International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yyc/) — Calgary - [YEG — Edmonton International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yeg/) — Edmonton - [YOW — Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yow/) — Ottawa - [YHZ — Halifax Stanfield International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yhz/) — Halifax - [All 7 in Canada](https://atoneplace.net/airport/in/canada/) ## United Kingdom - [LHR — Heathrow Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/lhr/) — London - [LGW — Gatwick Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/lgw/) — London - [STN — London Stansted Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/stn/) — London - [MAN — Manchester Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/man/) — Manchester - [LTN — London Luton Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/ltn/) — Luton - [LCY — London City Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/lcy/) — London - [EDI — Edinburgh Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/edi/) — Edinburgh - [All 7 in United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/airport/in/united-kingdom/) ## India - [DEL — Indira Gandhi International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/del/) — Delhi - [BOM — Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/bom/) — Mumbai - [MAA — Chennai International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/maa/) — Chennai - [BLR — Kempegowda International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/blr/) — Bengaluru - [CCU — Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/ccu/) — Kolkata - [All 5 in India](https://atoneplace.net/airport/in/india/) ## China - [PEK — Beijing Capital International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/pek/) — Beijing - [PVG — Shanghai Pudong International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/pvg/) — Shanghai - [PKX — Beijing Daxing International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/pkx/) — Beijing ## Germany - [FRA — Frankfurt Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/fra/) — Frankfurt - [MUC — Munich Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/muc/) — Munich - [BER — Berlin Brandenburg Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/ber/) — Berlin ## Japan - [HND — Tokyo Haneda Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/hnd/) — Tokyo - [NRT — Narita International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/nrt/) — Tokyo - [KIX — Kansai International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/kix/) — Osaka ## Australia - [SYD — Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/syd/) — Sydney - [MEL — Melbourne Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/mel/) — Melbourne ## France - [CDG — Charles de Gaulle Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/cdg/) — Paris - [ORY — Orly Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/ory/) — Paris ## Italy - [FCO — Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/fco/) — Rome - [MXP — Milan Malpensa Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/mxp/) — Milan ## Mexico - [MEX — Mexico City International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/mex/) — Mexico City - [CUN — Cancún International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/cun/) — Cancún ## South Africa - [JNB — O. R. Tambo International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/jnb/) — Johannesburg - [CPT — Cape Town International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/cpt/) — Cape Town ## Spain - [MAD — Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/mad/) — Madrid - [BCN — Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/bcn/) — Barcelona ## United Arab Emirates - [DXB — Dubai International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/dxb/) — Dubai - [AUH — Zayed International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/auh/) — Abu Dhabi ## Argentina - [EZE — Ministro Pistarini International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/eze/) — Buenos Aires ## Austria - [VIE — Vienna International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/vie/) — Vienna ## Brazil - [GRU — São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/gru/) — São Paulo ## Chile - [SCL — Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/scl/) — Santiago ## Colombia - [BOG — El Dorado International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/bog/) — Bogotá ## Denmark - [CPH — Copenhagen Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/cph/) — Copenhagen ## Egypt - [CAI — Cairo International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/cai/) — Cairo ## Ethiopia - [ADD — Addis Ababa Bole International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/add/) — Addis Ababa ## Finland - [HEL — Helsinki-Vantaa Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/hel/) — Helsinki ## Greece - [ATH — Athens International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/ath/) — Athens ## Hong Kong - [HKG — Hong Kong International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/hkg/) — Hong Kong ## Iceland - [KEF — Keflavík International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/kef/) — Reykjavík ## Indonesia - [CGK — Soekarno-Hatta International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/cgk/) — Jakarta ## Ireland - [DUB — Dublin Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/dub/) — Dublin ## Israel - [TLV — Ben Gurion Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/tlv/) — Tel Aviv ## Kenya - [NBO — Jomo Kenyatta International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/nbo/) — Nairobi ## Malaysia - [KUL — Kuala Lumpur International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/kul/) — Kuala Lumpur ## Netherlands - [AMS — Amsterdam Airport Schiphol](https://atoneplace.net/airport/ams/) — Amsterdam ## New Zealand - [AKL — Auckland Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/akl/) — Auckland ## Norway - [OSL — Oslo Airport, Gardermoen](https://atoneplace.net/airport/osl/) — Oslo ## Peru - [LIM — Jorge Chávez International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/lim/) — Lima ## Portugal - [LIS — Humberto Delgado Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/lis/) — Lisbon ## Qatar - [DOH — Hamad International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/doh/) — Doha ## Russia - [SVO — Sheremetyevo International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/svo/) — Moscow ## Singapore - [SIN — Singapore Changi Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/sin/) — Singapore ## South Korea - [ICN — Incheon International Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/icn/) — Seoul ## Sweden - [ARN — Stockholm Arlanda Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/arn/) — Stockholm ## Switzerland - [ZRH — Zurich Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/zrh/) — Zurich ## Thailand - [BKK — Suvarnabhumi Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/bkk/) — Bangkok ## Turkey - [IST — Istanbul Airport](https://atoneplace.net/airport/ist/) — Istanbul ## Common questions ### What airport is ORD? Chicago O'Hare. The code comes from Orchard Field, the airfield's name until 1949, and outlived the renaming. ### What is the difference between an IATA and an ICAO code? IATA codes are three letters and used commercially — tickets, timetables, luggage tags. ICAO codes are four letters, used by pilots and controllers, and assigned by geographic region rather than by name. ### Can an airport change its code? Yes, but almost never, because it means updating every reservation and baggage system in the world at once. New York Idlewild to JFK in 1963 and Baltimore BAL to BWI in 1973 are the well-known cases, and they are well known because they are so unusual.