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

# What airport is YUL?

**YUL is: Montréal-Trudeau International Airport**

Montreal, Canada

## Why the code is YUL

Y prefix plus UL, from the radio station at Kirkland, the district the airport was built in.

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:** YUL
- **ICAO code:** CYUL
- **Airport:** Montréal-Trudeau International Airport
- **City:** Montreal, Canada
- **Code origin:** The usual account, unverified

UL bears no relation to Montreal, Dorval or Trudeau, which is characteristic of Canadian codes. Montreal briefly had a second international airport, Mirabel, built for the 1976 Olympics and so far from the city that airlines abandoned it; it now handles only cargo.

## Codes people book by mistake

| Code | What it actually is |
| --- | --- |
| YMX | Mirabel, Montreal's abandoned second international airport. Cargo only since 2004. |

## The other code, CYUL

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

## Common questions

### What airport is YUL?

Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, in Montreal, Canada.

### Why is Montreal's airport called YUL?

Y prefix plus UL, from the radio station at Kirkland, the district the airport was built in.

### What is the difference between YUL and CYUL?

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

### Is YUL the same as YMX?

No. YMX is mirabel, Montreal's abandoned second international airport. Cargo only since 2004.

## 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 YYC?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yyc/)
- [What airport is YEG?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yeg/)
- [What airport is YOW?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yow/)
- [What airport is YHZ?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yhz/)

## Sources

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