---
title: "JNB is which airport? Johannesburg"
description: "JNB is O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. Why the code is JNB and not something you could guess, plus the codes it gets mixed up with."
url: https://atoneplace.net/airport/jnb/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What airport is JNB?

**JNB is: O. R. Tambo International Airport**

Johannesburg, South Africa

## Why the code is JNB

JohaNnesBurg, consonants.

The airport authority or a contemporaneous record states this directly.

## The airport

- **IATA code:** JNB
- **ICAO code:** FAOR
- **Airport:** O. R. Tambo International Airport
- **City:** Johannesburg, South Africa
- **Code origin:** Documented

At 1,694 m, Johannesburg is one of the highest major international airports in the world, and the thin air lengthens takeoff runs enough that some long-haul flights leave with a payload restriction. It has been renamed three times — Jan Smuts, Johannesburg International, then O. R. Tambo — and kept its code throughout.

## The other code, FAOR

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

## Common questions

### What airport is JNB?

O. R. Tambo International Airport, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

### Why is Johannesburg's airport called JNB?

JohaNnesBurg, consonants.

### What is the difference between JNB and FAOR?

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

## Related pages

- [South Africa](https://atoneplace.net/country/south-africa/)
- [The flag of South Africa](https://atoneplace.net/flag/south-africa/)
- [Airport codes in South Africa](https://atoneplace.net/airport/in/south-africa/)
- [What airport is CPT?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/cpt/)

## Sources

- OurAirports — OurAirports (https://ourairports.com/data/) [Public domain]