Airport identifiers
IATA vs ICAO Airport Codes
The same airport can have more than one identifier. Travelers usually encounter a three-letter IATA code, while aviation operations commonly use a four-letter ICAO location indicator.
By TransitSatellite · Reviewed October 20, 2026
IATA codes are familiar to passengers
IATA location codes are three-letter identifiers widely used in reservations, schedules, ticketing, baggage systems, and other commercial airline processes.
IATA can also assign location identifiers to some cities and intermodal locations, so not every IATA location code necessarily describes a single airport.
ICAO indicators serve operational aviation
ICAO uses four-letter location indicators for operational purposes. In the contiguous United States, many major-airport ICAO identifiers add a K before the familiar IATA code, such as KMCO for Orlando International Airport, but that pattern is not universal worldwide.
Why TransitSatellite shows both
Displaying both identifiers makes airport pages useful to travelers and aviation enthusiasts. It also helps connect a familiar search such as MCO with an operational identifier such as KMCO.
Common questions
Are IATA and ICAO codes always the same except for one extra letter?
No. Some U.S. airports follow that recognizable pattern, but global coding rules and identifiers vary.
Which airport code should a traveler use?
For airline booking and passenger travel, the three-letter IATA code is usually the familiar identifier.
Sources
Flight tracker search
Start with a flight number or route and open the current tracking source.
Search flightsTransportation globe
See the airport layer on the existing TransitSatellite 3D globe.
Open globe