---
title: "YHZ is which airport? Halifax"
description: "YHZ is Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Halifax, Canada. Why the code is YHZ and not something you could guess, plus the codes it gets mixed up with."
url: https://atoneplace.net/airport/yhz/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What airport is YHZ?

**YHZ is: Halifax Stanfield International Airport**

Halifax, Canada

## Why the code is YHZ

Y prefix plus HZ, from the Halifax radio identifier.

This is the explanation in general circulation and it is very likely right, but no primary document has been published that settles it. Treated as an account rather than a fact.

## The airport

- **IATA code:** YHZ
- **ICAO code:** CYHZ
- **Airport:** Halifax Stanfield International Airport
- **City:** Halifax, Canada
- **Code origin:** The usual account, unverified

Halifax took in 40 diverted transatlantic flights on 11 September 2001, and nearby Gander took 38 more — the operation that the musical Come From Away is about. Both airports were chosen because they are the first North American fields an eastbound aircraft can reach.

## The other code, CYHZ

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

## Common questions

### What airport is YHZ?

Halifax Stanfield International Airport, in Halifax, Canada.

### Why is Halifax's airport called YHZ?

Y prefix plus HZ, from the Halifax radio identifier.

### What is the difference between YHZ and CYHZ?

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

## Related pages

- [Canada](https://atoneplace.net/country/canada/)
- [The flag of Canada](https://atoneplace.net/flag/canada/)
- [Airport codes in Canada](https://atoneplace.net/airport/in/canada/)
- [What airport is YYZ?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yyz/)
- [What airport is YVR?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yvr/)
- [What airport is YUL?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yul/)
- [What airport is YYC?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yyc/)
- [What airport is YEG?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yeg/)
- [What airport is YOW?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yow/)

## Sources

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