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IATA to ICAO Airport Code Converter

Enter an airport code and choose a direction to convert between IATA and ICAO.

How it is calculated

This is a lookup, not a calculation. The code you type is trimmed and upper-cased (so saw works), then searched in a built-in table of 41 major airports. In IATA to ICAO mode the 3-letter code is matched and the 4-letter ICAO code is returned with the airport name. In ICAO to IATA mode the table is searched the other way round. The two systems are not always a simple prefix: in the United States and Canada ICAO usually adds K or C in front (JFK becomes KJFK), but LHR is EGLL and HND is RJTT. If the code is not in the table, or you chose the wrong direction, nothing is shown.

Worked example

Choose IATA to ICAO and type SAW, the code on a boarding pass for Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen. The code is upper-cased and found in the table, which holds the ICAO code LTFJ for it. The result is LTFJ, shown with the airport name (Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport) and the direction label IATA → ICAO. Istanbul's other airport follows the same pattern: IST maps to LTFM. Both ICAO codes begin with LT, the prefix used for Turkey, which is how you can tell where a flight plan code belongs.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Choosing the wrong direction. Typing EGLL while IATA to ICAO is selected finds nothing, because the table is searched for a 3-letter IATA code; switch to ICAO to IATA.
  • Guessing the ICAO code by adding K. That works for many US airports (LAX is KLAX) but fails elsewhere: London Heathrow is EGLL, not KLHR.
  • Expecting every airport to be found. Only 41 major international airports are included; a regional airport or a small field returns no result even if the code is valid.
  • Mixing up city codes with airport codes. A city code such as one covering several airports is not an airport code, and this lookup only knows individual airports, such as separate entries for Heathrow and Gatwick.
  • Typing the airport name or city instead of the code. The field takes a 3-letter IATA or 4-letter ICAO code only.

About this calculator

Airports are identified by two different code systems that serve different audiences. The 3-letter IATA code (like JFK or LHR) is what you see on boarding passes, luggage tags and airline booking systems, assigned by the International Air Transport Association. The 4-letter ICAO code (like KJFK or EGLL) is used by pilots, air traffic control and flight planning software, assigned by the International Civil Aviation Organization — it often just adds a country/region prefix letter to the IATA code, but not always.

This converter looks up the matching code in either direction for major international airports, which is useful for pilots, dispatchers, aviation enthusiasts, and developers building flight-tracking or booking tools that need to bridge passenger-facing IATA data with operational ICAO data.

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Comments (1)

  • Editorial team

    The two code systems serve different jobs. Tickets and boarding passes use the three-letter IATA code, while flight plans and aviation weather reports such as METAR and TAF use the four-letter ICAO code. So if you want the weather at an airport, convert its ticket code to ICAO first. The built-in list is short, only 41 major airports; post the codes you searched for that came back empty.

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