---
title: "SDF is which airport? Louisville"
description: "SDF is Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, United States. Where the code comes from, and the codes it gets mixed up with."
url: https://atoneplace.net/airport/sdf/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What airport is SDF?

**SDF is: Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport**

Louisville, United States

## Why the code is SDF

Standiford Field, the airport's name from 1947, after Elisha David Standiford.

The airport authority or a contemporaneous record states this directly.

## The airport

- **IATA code:** SDF
- **ICAO code:** KSDF
- **Airport:** Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport
- **City:** Louisville, United States
- **Code origin:** Documented

Standiford was a Kentucky legislator and businessman who owned part of the land. The airport was renamed for Muhammad Ali, a Louisville native, in 2019, and kept the code. It is one of the busiest cargo airports in the world because UPS built its global hub here, which means the airfield is at its busiest between midnight and 4 a.m.

## The other code, KSDF

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

## Common questions

### What airport is SDF?

Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, in Louisville, United States.

### Why is Louisville's airport called SDF?

Standiford Field, the airport's name from 1947, after Elisha David Standiford.

### What is the difference between SDF and KSDF?

SDF is the IATA code, used commercially — tickets, timetables, luggage tags. KSDF 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/)