IATA Airport Codes by City (NORTH AMERICA) Played: 1,860. VR is sort of an abbreviation for Vancouver, I guess, and Edmonton at least starts with an E, but I can't explain the Toronto one. La Grande-3, Quebec, Canada. @ Jay - I've updated the post to reflect this - its from a weather station indicating 'Yes' there is an airport at the location. Why do Canada's airport codes begin with "Y"? Frontiers | Investigation of incidence and geographic distribution of The US is actually divided into multiple regions - K1 thru K7 (I think from memory), but the airports are not coded with the region. When it comes to Canadian airports, for instance, the codes begin with a Y. It's not that we were far down on the list, it's just that at the time, Y wasn't much used in codes worldwide, so Canadian aviation authorities chose it as a basis for creating uniform and distinctive nationwide codes. I always wonder why Canada is so confusing. January 20, 2022, Peter Thornton - North Americas first airports typically had just two letter codes, usually based on the weather station or radio transmitter where the strip was located. San Jose, California is SJC. Particularly, when it comes to ICAO codes. When airport codes became recognized around the world, Canadian airports kept the Y at the beginning of the airport code. Albeit confusing, that's loosely the method on how Canada created most of its cryptic and confounding IATA airport codes. Airport codes expanded into radio codes, and radio codes ultimately looped around, broke the internet and become airport codes again. To further confuse the flying masses, metropolitan areas with several airports can also be searched under umbrella IATA codes. Why do Canadian Airport Codes Start with Y? - YouTube Outside of banner ads published through the Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site. Also, text-as-image is not much appreciated for many reasons (not searchable, not readable by screen readers). However, most Canadian airport codes start with a Y and don't even ressemble the city's name: YVR for Vancouver, YYZ for Toronto's Pearson, YQB for Quebec City, YYC for Calgary, etc. One would be wrong. New to Canada? LAX = Los Angeles. If there were no weather stations at the airport, a W would be administered for "without." + The Ultimate Guide to Life Insurance Medical Exams. The list seen here is the original Trans-Canada airway completed in 1939. Altona Municipal Airport: CJL6: Altona: MB: Amherst Heliport: CCB3: Amherst: NS: Amos/Magny Airport: CYEY: YEY: Amos: QC: Anahim Lake Airport: CAJ4: YAA: Anahim Lake: BC: Angling Lake/Wapekeka Airport: CKB6: YAX: Wapekeka: ON: Antigonish (St. Martha's Regional Hospital) Heliport: CDY5: Antigonish: NS: Anzac (Long Lake) Heliport: CNZ2: Athabasca . Enjoy a welcome bonus of $5 ! See answer below. Get yourself an advantagrous and flexible card for the traveler in you! These are The International Air Transport Association's (IATA) Location Identifier numbers. It's possible that being closely tied to Canada, they used Canadian codes, or that they adopted new codes after confederation. Due to the size of the list it has been broken down into the following: Unlike JFK (JFK), Boston (BOS), Miami (MIA), Sydney (SYD) Madrid (MAD) and Singapore (SIN), Canadian airport codes begin with a Y. How to Use Google Flights to Save Money on Your Next Trip, Compare Canadian Cryptocurrency Exchanges, Greater Moncton Romeo LeBlanc International Airport, Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, 2 Aeroplan Points per dollar on Air Canada purchases, 1.5 Aeroplan Points per dollar on meals and 1 Aeroplan Point per dollar on everything else. Every airport in the world has a 3-letter code that is maintained by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). DBBB (Cotonou), HSSS (Khartoum), UAAA (Almaty), UBBB (Baku), USSS (Ekaterinberg), VHHH (Hong Kong), WAAA (Makassar), WIII (Jakarta),WSSS (Singapore), ZGGG (Guangzhou), ZPPP (Kunming), ZSSS (Shanghai-Hongqiao), ZUUU (Chengdu), ZWWW (rmqi). Well, an example is ZCX the computer address of the FAA's air traffic control headquarters central flow control facility. Most three-digit airport codes make sense. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? In these instances, cities used railways station codes, which also used a two-letter Morse code indicator. . Most countries dont have standardized IATA airport code prefixes, but Canadas airport naming convention is rooted in pre-IATA identification codes. I believe airports were already adding a Y to the front of their 2 letter code, where there was a weather station attached to the airport the Y indicating Yes there is a weather station there. If you have something to say about facts on this blog, why can't you just James thank you for answering a question that has been bugging me for the past 40 years. Since some of you are "experts" i.e. It's fine (even helpful) to be critical, long as you give him examples of his mistakes and suggestions. The Canadians made off with all the remaining 'Y codes which helps explain YUL for Montreal, YYC for Calgary, etc. One country may be divided into multiple regions, for example, India is divided into VA, VI, VO and VE whereas, the UK is just EG. Originally, these codes were two-digit codes that identified where the airport was, and whether they had a weather or radio station tower. James thank you for answering a question that has been bugging me for the past 40 years. See more about our ethics policies here. In the rest of the world, the first 2 letters of the ICAO code signifies the region. Played: 2,128. BA pilot Mark Vanhoenackers poetic book Skyfaring has a rather lovely chapter on Wayfinding and the 5-letter names marking waypoints, which is similarly intriguing. However, an exception to this trend is in Canada, where most codes begin with the letter Y. YVR (Vancouver) , YYC (Calgary), YYZ (Toronto) , and YUL (Montreal) are high-profile examples, but this pattern extends down to . Criticism alone won't help! This means that Canada's ICAO airport codes are doubly redundant: not only do they have the ICAO-specific "C" prefix to identify them as airports located on Canadian ground, but also the "Y" prefix from their IATA code. It is wise to purchase travel insurance in case you run into any problems. If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Particularly, when it comes to ICAO codes. You can save a lot of money when you compare travel insurance quotes from multiple companies. More research definitely needed before publishing. Why does DFW International Airport charge visitors a, Everything you need to know about ZED travel. As others have pointed out, there are factual errors in this article. As to why they chose Y, I suspect it was because there were few other Y's taken. In a world of mega-sized metropolitan areas featuring massive international airports, it is easy to forget that many major airports fall outside of city limits & have their own unique story. Some small airports have CZ codes. What is the legal drinking age on an airline flight? Y stood for yes, meaning they did have a radio tower, and W stood for without, meaning they did not have a radio tower. List of airports in Canada is an organized list of registered airports and certified aerodromes in Canada. Her obsession with cryptocurrency keeps her writing most days about the best exchanges and wallets, and the wild world of NFTs. Canada Airports & List of Airports in Canada - Canada Airport Codes Airports List Canada - Canada Airport Codes (IATA / ICAO) All the Airports in Canada are listed below. But why y? For the second "Y" in "YYZ", I wonder if York (now a part of Toronto) is involved somehow (I don't know if the airport is in former York or original Toronto.). Before IATA started to create airport codes, Canada was already using airport identifier names for their airports. Just ask the locals from Yakima, Washington (YKM) and Yuma, Arizona (YUM)if they know the verses to "O Canada". That is murkier. Canadian Airport Codes are unique because they all begin with the letter Y. Hardbacon 2023 Bacon Financial Technologies Inc. I think that the best explanation for the Canadian Airport codes can be found in this article. That's just a coincidence. Learning all of this gave me a newfound appreciation for the history of aviation instruction in Canada. Make sure you get a valid passport as early as you can, and get to the airport early. For example, at the time Montral-Dorvals radio call sign happened to be UL. ". It's very simple. Other conflicts also affect the coding: for example London Gatwick Airport is LGW, because LGA is taken by the New York City LaGuardia Airport (both have LGA acronyms). Canadian Airport Codes Quiz - By backguy - Sporcle Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners. This helps explain how Vancouver ended up with YVR and Winnipeg got YWG: the Y prefix precedes two-digit codes that seem to be shortened versions of the airports city (e.g. Passengers are familiar with these three-digit airport codes because IATA codes are used for ticketing & other passenger-facing communications. Be patient during your travels and remember to be kind. Then the international aviation body IATA established that each airport should have a three letter code. Canadian Airport-codes - Airliners.net Not to mention the four US airports that begin with their own Y, tasty Yuma (YUM) for example and the anomalies that begin with a Z (ZBF for Bathurst, New Brunswick). - Travel Industry News Why do Canadian airport codes all begin with a Y? The next letters sometimes reflect the name of the airport city, like YOW for Ottawa. Canadas station codes were originally used to identify different towns telegram stations along the Canadian National Railway system. The Canadian city of Sault Ste. But WHY use the Y for Canadian airport codes? That's constructive criticism. ICAO code WMO code Passengers; Calgary International Airport: Calgary: Alberta: YYC CYYC 71877: Edmonton International Airport: Edmonton: Alberta: YEG CYEG 71123: Fredericton International Airport: Fredericton: New Brunswick: YFC CYFC 71700 55 (140) Gander International Airport: Gander: Newfoundland and Labrador: YQX CYQX 71803: Halifax . However, when you look into the history of airport codes, they make perfect sense. An X was used if the last two letters of the code had already been taken by another Canadian ident, and a Z was used if the locator could be confused with a U.S. three letter ident. Really? Does a constant Radon-Nikodym derivative imply the measures are multiples of each other? Pearson's for example doesn't offer such a history that's why I offered a possible guess at the bottom. Citizens of Richmond, British Columbia deal with oblivious visitors to YVR who assume they are stepping out into the city of Vancouver as soon as they walk off the jetbridge. IATA Airport Codes - Canada - Discover France LGW = London Gatwick. I'll bet he's ghost writing for an American. They're already confused by the metric system, our currency, postal codes, our use of the letter 'u', etc. I see plenty of hates going around here What an interesting and informative article; it's rare I learn something new in the world of air travel, so kudos to @James for the lesson and for thinking of such a creative topic. I was aware that all the airports in Canada were prefaced by the letter, Y. However, I did not know the logic behind it. IATA was formed in 1945, ICAO was formed in 1947. It's related to how "Canada" first got its name. @ Jason - I'm only suggesting Canadian airport codes are harder to remember than other countries airport codes because they are less of an abbreviation of the location or name (with only 2 letters to use), given the mandatory Y. @Sean M couldn't agree more. Diversify your investment portfolio and earn recurring, monthly passive income with goPeer. It's also possible that some airports were designated after weather stations and others from radio transmitters, and that at least some transmitter codes are based on weather station codes in turn. Canadian Tourist Visa - What's happening with my application? Full disclosure - I am an educator so it's my job to come up with crazy tricks to remember useless junk. The YZ at the end of the Toronto Pearson International airport identifier is the Morse code identifier for Malton, where the airport was built. Another example is Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (ICAO: FVFA, IATA: VFA), but that is because the ICAO F region is used for most of Sub-Saharan Africa, and Zimbabwe's region code is FV. Airport Code Quizzes - JetPunk IATA codes are used for all passenger-facing communications; ICAO codes are only relevant for people concerned with flight operations & ATC movements. These were all two letters in length, and werent necessarily an obvious abbreviation of the location name. Just like the US uses K and W. I've also been told that airports with a "Y" either have or once had a weather office. Why do other cities have logical airport codes while Toronto and Montreal have random letters? Why the Y? So where does the fourth digit come from? Sometimes the abbreviation is for the name of the airport, whether the airport is named after a famous figure (like JFK for New York John F Kennedy), or the area/suburb the airport is actually located in (such as LTN for London Luton). Iqaluit, NU? Theres always been weirdness in aviation geography. 'Q' was designated for international telecommunications. For example the UK is in region E with a country code of EG. Ben shared a map of the airports, and as you may have noticed, each of the three airports start with the letter Y, despite two of the names of the airports not having the letter Y in them: Now when you think about other, more well known Canadian airports, they also start with the letter Y, despite not having the letter Y in their name: Airports around the world have commonly used three letter codes, which in some cases are anabbreviation, or the first three letters of the name of the city it services (such as SYD for Sydney, or SFO for San Francisco). Just as with the United States, the development of airport codes in Canada has to do with the weather. Didn't your parents teach you anything? nice to have the background primer, thx! Why is Y not exclusive to Canadian airport codes? Originally, airports were called by the city name. HZ was Halifax, QB for Quebec City. And that's probably where you learned your objectionable behaviour in the first place. Well M is Dash Dash, O is Dash Dash Dash, Q is Dash Dash Dot Dash. One of the special uses for 'Z' is identifying locations in cyberspace. The two letters following the Y in Canadian airport codes were originally created to identify old telegram stations on the Canadian National Railway System. Not all Canadian airports have a Y code though. For example, Toronto would surely want to be something like TRT if it were renamed, but this is already taken by Tremonton, USA. I think one of the best parts of this blog is that it brings together the brightest avgeek minds from around the world to strengthen our collective knowledge, especially on topics the authors themselves may not be an expert on. And so on. Get 2 000 AIR MILES Bonus Miles and exempt of the $120 annual fees for the first year. (The start of the the song YYZ by the band Rush is the Morse code for the letters Y Y Z. Maple Bay, British Columbia, Canada. How can I handle a daughter who says she doesn't want to stay with me more than one day? @James I love reading your articles, and find the content you produce to be continually informative and entertaining. If it did, the letter Y for yes was added in front of the existing radio call sign. The short answer is that by regulation, the three-character IATA code for an airport in Canada generally corresponds to a three-character Transport Canada code (TCLID), which in turn generally corresponds to the last three letters of its four-character ICAO airport code. Please do some better research in the future (and not just google other inaccurate articles to begin with, which seems to be where you got most of your info). For the nitpickers out there, its also worth noting that not every airport in Canada starts with the letter Y either. The Ultimate Guide to Star Alliance for Canadians. Toronto's Pearson is probably a special case where YTO designates all airports in GTA, YTZ have also been taken and I cannot say for sure why YMI was given to Minaki rather then Pearson since it's located in Mississauga but here we have it. Some countries are in one region (such as Canada) but this is th exception. What should be included in error messages? As for Sean M. and his fellow haters, why can't you just engage in polite and respectful discussion. @James: There might be missing something in the four-letter code "EGL", @Echid - Now, how many people referred to the Rock band as 'Zed Zed Top'? If you're not familiar with canadian airport codes it just means you don't/didn't do many hidden city bookings ;). For anyone whos flown, youll know that every airport has a unique three-letter code associated with it. Toronto Pearson International Airports YZ code comes from the Morse code identifier for the area of Malton where the airport was actually built, and Montreals UL suffix was the radio beacon identification code for its neighboring town of Kirland. Aviation officials came up with the 3-letter code, figuring it unlikely that 17,576 airports would dot the world (the number of combinations allowed with 3 letters.) Airport Codes Quiz #1 - JetPunk What am I talking about? . When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Maple Bay Seaplane Base. Ben wrote an article a few years back about a neat website that shows the origin of airport codes, which I would recommend checking out if youve ever wondered why a particular airport has a particular code (if its not an obvious abbreviation). But, there're not enough 2-letter combinations for all the airports, and an additional letter was added. Vancouver). The overwhelming majority of Canadian airports begin with a Y these days, though we did find a few tiny airports like WPC (Pincher Creek Airport) & WNN (Wunnumin Lake Airport) that begin with the rare W prefix. 'Z' was reserved for special uses. Chicago is close enough to Canada to bring us back to the Y. K-WOW.. If youre new to credit or have a blemished credit history, you might be wondering if you need a credit card to, A powerful and innovative search engine, Google is also the worlds most comprehensive database for flight searches. Best of all, Hardbacon users receive a $20 account credit when they choose Square One. Most airport codes around the world tend to be shortened versions of the city or airport name, but in Canada they all seem to begin with a Y, and then two letters unrelated to either. 3-letters coding and 4-letters coding are, @littleadv I agree in general about the 3/4, but for Canadian airports there are essentially no exceptions: see. ), you wrote: "@ Jason Im only suggesting Canadian airport codes are harder to remember than other countries airport codes because they are less of an abbreviation of the location or name (with only 2 letters to use), given the mandatory Y.". So obvious. For reference, lets look at some of the IATA & ICAO codes for the largest airports in Canada: This means that Canadas ICAO airport codes are doubly redundant: not only do they have the ICAO-specific C prefix to identify them as airports located on Canadian ground, but also the Y prefix from their IATA code. Why Do Canadian Airports Start With A Y? - TravelSpock.com Your feedback is important in helping us keep our community safe. YEG = Edmonton. One country may be divided into multiple regions, for example, India is divided As others have pointed out, there are factual errors in this article. Debts Repayment Calculator (Avalanche Method). While some Canadian IATA codes follow in that footprint like Torontos YYZ airport, which uses the radio code for the city of Malton where its located, others follow different naming patterns. List of Canadian Airports Airports in Alberta Airports in British Columbia Airports in Manitoba Some morse codes dont work, for example TO in morse is Dash, Dash Dash, Dash. Early Canadian airports actually broadcast, in morse code, their two letter code to be used in direction finding. All products and services mentioned on Airfarewatchdog are independently selected by our team of expert travelers. Air quality improves in New York City, Tri-State after smoke from And San Jose in Costa Rica? Using railway station codes as opposed to radio tower identifiers allowed for many Canadian airports to form almost recognizable airport codes. And the answer is no. Or more accurately: Y? As for Sean M. and his fellow haters, why can't you just engage in polite and respectful discussion. Punch in MIA and youre good to go. YVR, minus the Y leaves VR easier to decipher into VancouveR. Yellowknife, NT? Neither of these make sense at all if airport codes want to match the name of the city where they are located. Quite simply, the Y stands for yes and W is short for without. Most people refer to the three letter IATA code when referring to an airport code. I've again learned something new, one of the many reasons I like this blog so much. How Are Airport Codes Determined? - Simple Flying Tied into this somehow are radio stations. That way you are helping everyone interested in this topic. Rush is from Toronto.) The story is just as complicated as the codes themselves, but like most things in Canada it all comes down to the weather. The ICAO codes consist of a two-letter country prefix and a two-letter airport code. But what about San Jose in Philippines? You give us the major city served by that airport. Today, we dive into why Canadas IATA airport codes begin with the letter Y. There are other airports, like Yangambi, Congo (YAN) and Yasawa Island (YAS) that start with the letter Y and are not in Canada. A good portion of the worlds airports have airport codes that make sense in relation to their respective city or historical name. Standby With Me is a community of nonrevs sharing travel tips, gear reviews, and stories from our favorite destinations. So if you ever happen to notice your bag tagged with YMQ, youre in trouble because no airport under that IATA code actually exists. Canadian airports begin with C: CYVR, CYYZ, CYUL, corresponding to their IATA codes of YVR, YYZ, and YUL, respectively. "All US airports' first ICAO letter is K . The only semblance of a system is the "Y". Discovers 5% Cashback Bonus Calendar (2023), 8 Best Credit Cards for Non-Rev Travelers, 4 Travel Podcast Recommendations for Nonrevs, 8 Breweries Near John Wayne Airport (SNA), Timbuk2 Custom Mini Prospect Backpack Review. , Quick correction: Sydney is actually YQY.oh, you mean the other Sydney. And an 'N', eh? This means almost every Canadian airport has CY as the first two digits of their ICAO code. James keep up the good work! Everyone complaining, please go away and read another blog, preferably one you pay for which would then give you a solid reason to complain. Edmonton, who's railway code of EG, morphed into YEG when its IATA code got assigned. As a meteorologist, I've done a lot of personal research into the history of weather and aeronautical radio stations. Imagine if you had to book individual flights and make separate arrangements for your luggage for every leg of an international journey. In my flying experience (passenger), I've gotten used to seeing 3 letter airport codes. Good article James.. Visitors who travel to our neighbors to the north may notice that Canadian airport codes all seem to start with the same letter. Airports in Canada | List of Canada Airports | Canada Airport Codes Construction of two uncountable sequences which are "interleaved". This was done to clarify whether the airport had a radio tower or not. Nowadays, virtually every airport in Canada has a IATA code that begins with a Y, though not all airport codes that begin with Y are in Canada. Like in Toronto where YTO includes both YYZ and YTZ as results. If you select YTO there is a chance you could end up in Hamilton which is not what you where you want to be. Your email address will not be published. Thanks James for writing about an interesting topic. Several references on the net indicate that the ICAO codes precedes the IATA codes. The C and K regions (Canada and the mainland U.S.) are the ONLY places where prefixing the letter C/K to the IATA code gives the ICAO. Canada airport code list. I dont think that would have happened with an airport code if it were just a normal easy-to-remember one. Westjet Air Transat First Air Canadian North Below you can find a list of all commercial airports in Canada. In the movie he was a TV Exec that ran a commercial saying, "ITV; Yule Love it!" Newer 4-letter ICAO codes (not to be confused with the IATA 3-letter codes, they are not the same) have first letter (or first two) to mark the country/region K for the US (so LAX becomes KLAX), C for Canada (so Toronto YYZ becomes CYYZ), E and L for Europe, EG for the UK (making LHR changed to EGLL), etc etc. Get home insurance in 5 minutes for as little as $12/month. @ Sean M, @ Pietro - reading through this again I realised I had gotten my explanation mixed up - the Y was added to the weather station code, to reflect the presence of the airport, not the other way around. ICAO codes don't only include airports, for example. If it did, the letter Y for "yes" was added in front of the existing radio call sign. When it comes to navigating Canadian airports, scratch your head and ask why? What's the closest airport to the Flatiron District and Chelsea neighbourhood in NY? Canada and the US are the exception, not the rule (Australia may behave the same as they own the whole region, as well). What's the domestic to international connection procedure at Stansted airport? ;). @littleadv IATA bases their codes on the ICAO codes unless doing so would cause conflict with other IATA codes. The "Y" stood for yes, meaning there was a radio tower there. + How to Apply for a Business Credit Card (and Get Approved), + Best Credit Cards to Rebuild your Credit, + Everything you need to know about your credit score in Canada, + Tips to improve your credit rating in Canada, + What is a Credit Score? Technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein.
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