![]() ![]() In rare cases, FlightAware may track a flight only by its IATA code if that is the only available code for the airport. In cases whe n an airport does not have an ICAO code, FlightAware falls back to a LID code if one is available. Airports without any code tend to be small private airstrips or helipads.įlightAware tracks flights primarily by their origin and destination ICAO location codes, when available. Furthermore, it is also worth remembering that many airports have no unique designator code s at all. It is important to note that airports can have any combination of IATA, ICAO, and/or LID codes assigned. While English is the international language of aviation, Russia goes its own way by assigning LID codes using the Cyrillic alphabet. Additionally, some airports have IATA codes that are not the same as the assigned LID code, which results in additional confusion. In the United States, many airports have LID codes and IATA codes that are the same, which results in the two being conflated quite frequently. Notably, countries such as the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Russia assign LID codes within their boundaries. Most countries do not assign LID codes and instead typically only assign 4-letter ICAO codes. LID codes are most like ICAO codes, in that they are used to uniquely identify airports for operational reasons by air traffic control. LID is an abbreviation for “local identifier” and “ local ” in this context means local to the country in which they are assigned. ![]() The least understood type of airport code is the LID code. ICAO also assigns two notable special codes: “ZZZZ” to designate airports without an ICAO code (e.g., to be filed on an ATC flight plan) and “AFIL” to designate the origin for flight plans filed when the aircraft is already in the air. ![]() Like IATA codes, ICAO codes are considered “location codes” by ICAO and are assigned to locations other than airports, such as air traffic control facilities, weather forecast offices, etc. ICAO publishes a list of codes in its “D oc 7910” document. The first one or two letters are allocated to a specific country by ICAO, and each country handles specific assignments to airports within its boundaries using the remaining two or three characters. ICAO codes consist of 4-alphabetic characters. The United Nation’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) coordinates the assignment and dissemination of ICAO codes. As such, pilots, dispatchers, and air traffic controllers work primarily in the ICAO airport code scheme. ICAO codes are filed on air traffic control flight plans and are the international standard used worldwide for interoperability between air navigation service providers. While IATA codes specifically support the airline travel industry, ICAO codes more broadly support international flight operations regardless of the type of operation (to include general and business aviation). ICAO codes are the next most widely recognized codes. Additionally, IATA also assigns city and metropolitan area codes, using the same 3-letter format, which in many cases duplicate a related airport code. IATA location codes are also assigned in some cases to non-airport locations that are connected to air travel, such as train and bus stations. These codes are assigned and managed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). IATA codes consist of 3-alphabetic characters. IATA codes are the most recognized airport codes due to their use by the airlines to facilitate passenger air travel. IATA codes are the most widely understood codes and used for airline travel (schedules, bookings /ticketing, boarding passes, flight status, baggage tags, etc.). The three types of airport codes are IATA, ICAO, and LID codes. Importantly, it provides a cross-reference between the three types of airport codes so that you can properly correlate airport data. FlightAware’s airport database product (also available as a subscription for ongoing updates) provides the “magic decoder ring” for worldwide airport data. There are three main types of codes, each with a different level of recognition outside of those intimately familiar with aviation data. One airport often has multiple codes used to reference it. ![]() Airport codes are a common source of confusion and represent a significant portion of the alphabet soup of aviation terminology. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |