AEROMONK GUIDE

Why Do Some Airports Have Different IATA and ICAO Codes?

Understand why an airport can have completely different IATA and ICAO identifiers.

It is normal for an airport's IATA and ICAO codes to look completely different. The two systems were created for different purposes and use different identifier structures.

An example

London Heathrow is commonly known as LHR to travellers, while aviation systems use EGLL as its ICAO identifier.

Different systems, different purposes

IATA codes are strongly associated with passenger travel, ticketing and baggage handling. ICAO identifiers are designed for aviation operations and related systems.

Therefore there is no requirement for the two identifiers to contain the same letters.