---
title: "PHX is which airport? Phoenix"
description: "PHX is Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, United States. Where the code comes from, and the codes it gets mixed up with."
url: https://atoneplace.net/airport/phx/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What airport is PHX?

**PHX is: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport**

Phoenix, United States

## Why the code is PHX

PH for Phoenix, plus the filler X.

The airport authority or a contemporaneous record states this directly.

## The airport

- **IATA code:** PHX
- **ICAO code:** KPHX
- **Airport:** Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
- **City:** Phoenix, United States
- **Code origin:** Documented

Sky Harbor is unusual among big US airports in sitting four miles from downtown, inside the city rather than out on cheap land. Summer heat is an operational constraint rather than a comfort one: thinner hot air reduces lift, and in June 2017 a run of 48 °C days grounded regional jets whose manuals simply did not have a chart for that temperature.

## The other code, KPHX

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

## Common questions

### What airport is PHX?

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, in Phoenix, United States.

### Why is Phoenix's airport called PHX?

PH for Phoenix, plus the filler X.

### What is the difference between PHX and KPHX?

PHX is the IATA code, used commercially — tickets, timetables, luggage tags. KPHX 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

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