Major airport IATA codes
Useful for tickets, baggage tags, and travel forms. This is a shortlist of major hubs, not every airport worldwide.
| City / airport | IATA | Country |
|---|---|---|
| New York (JFK) | JFK | US |
| New York (EWR) | EWR | US |
| Los Angeles | LAX | US |
| San Francisco | SFO | US |
| Chicago (ORD) | ORD | US |
| Miami | MIA | US |
| Toronto | YYZ | CA |
| Vancouver | YVR | CA |
| London Heathrow | LHR | GB |
| London Gatwick | LGW | GB |
| Paris CDG | CDG | FR |
| Frankfurt | FRA | DE |
| Amsterdam | AMS | NL |
| Madrid | MAD | ES |
| Rome Fiumicino | FCO | IT |
| Zurich | ZRH | CH |
| Dubai | DXB | AE |
| Doha | DOH | QA |
| Istanbul | IST | TR |
| Moscow Sheremetyevo | SVO | RU |
| Delhi | DEL | IN |
| Mumbai | BOM | IN |
| Singapore Changi | SIN | SG |
| Bangkok Suvarnabhumi | BKK | TH |
| Ho Chi Minh City | SGN | VN |
| Jakarta | CGK | ID |
| Kuala Lumpur | KUL | MY |
| Manila | MNL | PH |
| Hong Kong | HKG | HK |
| Taipei Taoyuan | TPE | TW |
| Tokyo Haneda | HND | JP |
| Tokyo Narita | NRT | JP |
| Osaka Kansai | KIX | JP |
| Seoul Incheon | ICN | KR |
| Beijing Capital | PEK | CN |
| Beijing Daxing | PKX | CN |
| Shanghai Pudong | PVG | CN |
| Shanghai Hongqiao | SHA | CN |
| Guangzhou | CAN | CN |
| Shenzhen | SZX | CN |
| Sydney | SYD | AU |
| Melbourne | MEL | AU |
| Auckland | AKL | NZ |
| São Paulo Guarulhos | GRU | BR |
| Mexico City | MEX | MX |
| Buenos Aires Ezeiza | EZE | AR |
| Johannesburg | JNB | ZA |
| Cairo | CAI | EG |
| Lagos | LOS | NG |
Notes
- Some metro areas have multiple airports — check the ticket, not just the city name.
- IATA is for passengers; ICAO codes (4 letters) are used more in ops/ATC.
What an IATA code is
An IATA code is the three-letter identifier an airport is given for commercial travel. It appears on tickets, boarding passes, baggage tags, timetables and airline booking systems, and it is assigned by the International Air Transport Association so that a destination can be named unambiguously anywhere in the world. Some codes are obvious — LAX for Los Angeles, JFK for New York's John F. Kennedy — while others preserve historical names that no longer match the city, such as ORD for Chicago O'Hare or MCO for Orlando. Once you know the code, you can search, book and track a flight without relying on the airport's full name.
City codes versus airport codes
The most common travel mistake is assuming a city has one airport. Many do not. New York has JFK, Newark (EWR) and LaGuardia (LGA); London has Heathrow (LHR), Gatwick (LGW), Stansted (STN), Luton (LTN) and City (LCY); Tokyo has Haneda (HND) and Narita (NRT); Paris has Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Orly (ORY) and Beauvais (BVA). Airlines also use three-letter city codes that cover every airport in a metro area — LON for London, NYC for New York, TYO for Tokyo — but a booking made to a city code can land you at any of them. Always check the specific airport code on the ticket, not just the city.
IATA versus ICAO
Two code systems coexist and they are easily confused. IATA codes are three letters and are for passengers and commercial logistics. ICAO codes are four letters, assigned by the International Civil Aviation Organization, and are used mainly in flight planning, air traffic control and operational records. So Heathrow is LHR to a traveller and EGLL to a controller; Los Angeles is LAX and KLAX. The first letter of an ICAO code usually signals a broad region — K for the contiguous United States, E for northern Europe, C for Canada, R for Japan and Korea — which is why ICAO codes look systematic while IATA codes often do not.
Why a shortlist is the right tool here
There are more than 10,000 airports with IATA codes, and the ones you actually need are a tiny fraction of that. A reference table of the most-searched international hubs answers the everyday questions — what is the code for Dubai (DXB), Singapore (SIN) or São Paulo (GRU) — far faster than a lookup on a full directory. For anything outside the list, the authoritative source is IATA's own code search, and airlines and booking sites also resolve codes in their search boxes. Use the shortlist for recognition and quick answers, then confirm unusual or regional codes against an official directory before you rely on them.
Frequently asked questions
- Which airport is code LHR?
- LHR is London Heathrow Airport, the busiest airport in the United Kingdom.
- What is the airport code for Tokyo?
- Tokyo has two major airports: Haneda (HND), closer to the city, and Narita (NRT).
- What is the difference between IATA and ICAO airport codes?
- IATA codes are three letters used on tickets and baggage tags; ICAO codes are four letters used mainly in operations and air traffic control.