IATA Codes VS ICAO Codes

I agree that ICAO is easier to keep track of and are more systematic, but sometimes they just make no sense. For example, EGLL?

E - Region
G - England
LL - visible confusion

Sure, ICAO is definitely more regulated but I a TAA is much easier to understand. If you told a general person you were going to EGLL, they would be like:

Excuse Me Reaction GIF by Mashable

But if I told them LHR, they would be like

Season 9 Reaction GIF by The Office

Just the general person, IATA is much easier to understand, and therefore when I’m just casually talking, I will never use ICAO even in virtual airline chats. I will use IATA 99% of the time.

2 Likes

More like

Europe
Great Britain

IATA is good for figuring out the airport’s name, for example DENver Int’l or NaRiTa or London HeathRow.

2 Likes

Los Angeles… X?

1 Like

Ah, you must haven’t seen that Simple Flying video on why Canada has so many Ys in their IATA codes

1 Like

There’s a couple reasons why the X could be there.

  1. In the early days, an X at the end of an airport’s code meant it didn’t have certain weather radar stuff.
  2. Many airport codes used to be just two letters, so when three and four letter codes because common, an additional letter was thrown on the end.
1 Like

I did, ik that it was bc originally it was 2 letters and then it was switched to 3 so they just threw a random X there

Look above you

1 Like

I see my bedroom’s roof

Ha, gullible

1 Like

*Ceiling

1 Like

shut up u American jk

this s

2 Likes

A roof goes on the outside. A ceiling is what’s on the inside.

1 Like

puts roof/ceiling upside down

now what?

I hear it has to do with like if they had a radar or something and if it was yes, it was a Y that stated the code.
Long story short, every airport except for like three had radars so now there are three airports in Canada that randomly start with a Z.
That’s what I heard at least.

2 Likes

btw wth does “GIG” stand for lol

Galeão… GIG… ???

SBGL btw (GaLeão)

Also, yes, Kinshasa N’djli definitely has an F in its name…

1 Like

Meanwhile Manaus (MAO)

SBEG (Manaus Eduardo Gomes Int’l Airport)

And Tablas Tugdan (TBH lol) definitely has an H…

1 Like