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

# What airport is YVR?

**YVR is: Vancouver International Airport**

Vancouver, Canada

## Why the code is YVR

Y prefix plus VR for Vancouver.

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:** YVR
- **ICAO code:** CYVR
- **Airport:** Vancouver International Airport
- **City:** Vancouver, Canada
- **Code origin:** The usual account, unverified

One of the more legible Canadian codes, since VR is recognisably Vancouver. The terminal holds a large permanent collection of Northwest Coast Indigenous art, including Bill Reid's Jade Canoe, which appeared on the Canadian twenty-dollar note.

## The other code, CYVR

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

## Common questions

### What airport is YVR?

Vancouver International Airport, in Vancouver, Canada.

### Why is Vancouver's airport called YVR?

Y prefix plus VR for Vancouver.

### What is the difference between YVR and CYVR?

YVR is the IATA code, used commercially — tickets, timetables, luggage tags. CYVR 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 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/)
- [What airport is YHZ?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/yhz/)

## Sources

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