---
title: "SNA is which airport? Santa Ana"
description: "SNA is John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, United States. Why the code is SNA and not something you could guess, what KSNA means, and the codes it gets mixed up with."
url: https://atoneplace.net/airport/sna/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What airport is SNA?

**SNA is: John Wayne Airport**

Santa Ana, United States

## Why the code is SNA

Santa Ana, the city it sits in, despite the airport being named for John Wayne.

The airport authority or a contemporaneous record states this directly.

## The airport

- **IATA code:** SNA
- **ICAO code:** KSNA
- **Airport:** John Wayne Airport
- **City:** Santa Ana, United States
- **Code origin:** Documented

It has one of the steepest departure profiles in commercial aviation: aircraft climb hard off the runway and then throttle back sharply over Newport Beach to satisfy a noise ordinance, producing a sensation of the engines failing that alarms first-time passengers. The procedure is entirely normal and entirely deliberate.

## The other code, KSNA

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

## Common questions

### What airport is SNA?

John Wayne Airport, in Santa Ana, United States.

### Why is Santa Ana's airport called SNA?

Santa Ana, the city it sits in, despite the airport being named for John Wayne.

### What is the difference between SNA and KSNA?

SNA is the IATA code, used commercially — tickets, timetables, luggage tags. KSNA 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]