The ICAO airport code or location indicator is a four-letter code designating aerodromes around the world. These codes, as defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization and published quarterly in ICAO Document 7910: Location Indicators , are used by air traffic control and airline operations such as flight planning . ICAO codes are also used to identify other aviation facilities such as weather stations , international flight service stations or area control centers , whether or not they are located at airports. Flight information regions are also identified by a unique ICAO-code.
34-469: Ambrolauri Airport ( ICAO : UGAM ) is a small regional airport serving Ambrolauri , a town in Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti , Georgia . The airport is owned and operated by United Airports of Georgia, a state-owned company. It has been open in its current form since January 2017, and can serve airplanes up to 50 passengers capacity. Ambrolauri Airport is located at the edge of Ambrolauri town, in
68-644: A permanent solution was in hand, and on 1 May 1979, a new airport was opened at Cape Pembroke by Sir Vivian Fuchs with a 4,000-foot (1,200 m) paved runway. It immediately became home to the Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS) with its Britten-Norman Islanders and de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beavers . During the Falklands War of 1982, invading Argentine forces occupied Port Stanley Airport. The Argentine Air Force were unable to station their most advanced fighter jets at
102-427: A week between Ambrolauri and Natakhtari Airfield near Tbilisi with a 19-seater Let L-410 . After a six-month hiatus in 2020 due to the corona pandemic, flights to Ambrolaoeri resumed in the summer of 2020, and by 2021 passenger traffic recovered to pre-covid numbers. Then-President Mikheil Saakashvili named Ambrolauri in 2010 as one of the new regional airports to be developed to stimulate tourism. Finally, in 2015,
136-607: Is 338 metres (1,109 feet) long. Prior to 1972 , there was no airport in the Falkland Islands with a paved (sealed) runway , and all passenger movements to the islands had to be undertaken by boat. However, in the early 1970s, the Falkland Islands Company decided to withdraw its monthly supply ship to Montevideo , Uruguay , increasing the desirability of an air-link to the South American mainland. In 1971 ,
170-474: Is a pseudo-code, used in flight plans for aerodromes with no ICAO code assigned. ICAO codes are sometimes updated. Johannesburg Airport in Johannesburg , South Africa, for instance, was formerly known as Jan Smuts International Airport, with code FAJS. When the airport was renamed O. R. Tambo International Airport, its ICAO code was updated to FAOR. Some airports have two ICAO codes, usually when an airport
204-522: Is a small civil airport in the Falkland Islands , located two miles (3 kilometres) from the capital, Stanley . This airport is the only civilian airport in the islands with a paved runway. However, the military airbase at RAF Mount Pleasant , located to the west of Stanley, functions as the islands' main international airport , because it has a long runway capable of handling wide-body aircraft , and allows civilian flights by prior permission from
238-711: Is based in the United Kingdom . On the other hand, IATA codes do not provide geographic reference. For example, LHR, representing Heathrow, does not enable one to deduce the location of the airport LHV with any greater certainty; it is William T. Piper Memorial Airport in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania in the United States . There are a few exceptions to the regional structure of the ICAO code that have been historically for political or administrative reasons. RAF Mount Pleasant air base in
272-482: Is partly delegated to authorities in each country, while IATA codes, which have no geographic structure, must be decided centrally by IATA. The first one or two letters of the ICAO code indicate the country; the remaining letters identify the airport. ICAO codes are used partly for geographical context. For example, the ICAO code for Heathrow International Airport in London, is EGLL, with its first letters reflecting that it
306-679: Is shared by civilian and military users. Frankfurt Airport in Frankfurt , Germany, for instance, has been assigned ICAO code EDDF while Rhein-Main Air Base was assigned ICAO code EDAF until its closure. Sion Airport in Switzerland has code LSGS while its military facilities have the ICAO code LSMS. Brussels Airport in Brussels , Belgium, has the ICAO code EBBR for its civilian facilities, and Melsbroek Air Base has been assigned ICAO code EBMB, even though
340-479: The Argentine Air Force broke the islands' isolation, starting with amphibious flights from Comodoro Rivadavia with Grumman HU-16B Albatross aircraft operated by LADE . In 1973 , the United Kingdom (UK) signed a Communications Agreement with Argentina to fund an airstrip on the islands. Flights took place again from Comodoro Rivadavia , this time with Fokker F-28 twin jet aircraft. This service
374-579: The British Fleet . On 1 May 1982, the Royal Air Force (RAF) bombed the airport in Operation Black Buck , and several additional raids were carried out by embarked Sea Harriers . Throughout the conflict, the airport installations were attacked with 237 bombs, 1,200 shells by deployed Royal Navy ships, and sixteen missiles. The forty-two 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms) bombs dropped by
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#1733093001389408-615: The Falkland Islands , for instance, is assigned the ICAO code EGYP as though it were in the United Kingdom, but nearby civilian Port Stanley Airport is assigned SFAL, consistent with South America . Saint Pierre and Miquelon is controlled by France, and airports there are assigned LFxx as though they were in Europe. Kosovo is assigned the code BKxx grouping it with Greenland and Iceland rather than its geographical neighbors which have Lxxx (described below). Jerusalem International Airport
442-599: The Jezero Crater on Mars is assigned the special ICAO code JZRO. Codes beginning with I (Ixx and Ixxx) are often used for navigational aids such as radio beacons, while the Q code is reserved for international radiocommunications and non-geographical special use. In Russia , Latin letter X, or its Morse / Baudot Cyrillic equivalent Ь , are used to designate government, military, and experimental aviation airfields in internal airfield codes similar in structure and purpose to ICAO codes but not used internationally. ZZZZ
476-461: The North Falkland Basin , and the other as a search and rescue (SAR) helicopter. Occasionally, one of the aircraft had been based at RAF Mount Pleasant given lack of space at Stanley Airport. In 2015, Bristow added a new BVE helicopter hangar at Stanley Airport to house three S-92 helicopters. The hangar, designed and constructed by RUBB UK , is used both to service, maintain, and store
510-604: The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). Port Stanley Airport is owned by the Government of the Falkland Islands , operated by the Falkland Islands Government Air Service (commonly known by its abbreviation FIGAS), and is used for internal flights between the islands and flights between the Falklands and Antarctica . It has two asphalt-paved runways; its main runway 09/27 is 918 by 19 metres (3,012 by 62 feet), and its secondary runway 18/36
544-457: The Falkland Islands from the airport with its five Britten-Norman BN-2B Islander fixed-wing aircraft. The British Antarctic Survey uses the airport for intercontinental flights to Rothera Research Station in Antarctica . Bristow Helicopters has previously operated three Sikorsky S-92 helicopters from Stanley Airport, two for transporting oil rig workers to exploratory oil platforms in
578-541: The Georgian Aviation Authority identified four old airports suitable to revive, including Ambrolauri. This was the first of the four to be developed, and by 2022 it also turned out to be the only one. In 2016 the airport got a new 1,100 m (3,600 ft) paved concrete runway and a terminal with an area of 600m² and space for approximately 50 passengers was built. The airport opened in January 2017. The terminal
612-563: The IATA code for London 's Heathrow Airport is LHR and its ICAO code is EGLL. IATA codes are commonly seen by passengers and the general public on flight-tracking services such as FlightAware . In general IATA codes are usually derived from the name of the airport or the city it serves, while ICAO codes are distributed by region and country. Far more aerodromes (in the broad sense) have ICAO codes than IATA codes, which are sometimes assigned to railway stations as well. The selection of ICAO codes
646-553: The Phantom fighters, and transport for local ( South Georgia ) tasks. The airport was also used by the C-130s of the 'air bridge' from Ascension Island for trooping, cargo, and many other essentials until RAF Mount Pleasant became operational. In 1985 , RAF Mount Pleasant opened, and in April 1986 , Port Stanley Airport returned to civilian use. The temporary aluminium planking runway extension
680-432: The aircraft carrier, HMS Invincible , on standing patrol. The runway was extended by to 6,100 feet (1,900 metres), paved with aluminium planking, and had arrester equipment installed to allow RAF F-4M Phantom fighters, initially some of those of No. 29 Squadron RAF , to be based on the island as air defence. The unit was known as 'PhanDet' until late 1983, when the detachment achieved squadron status following
714-503: The base, given the relatively short runway, and the risk of attack by the British . However, several air force FMA IA 58 Pucarás , together with Argentine Navy Aermacchi MB-339 and T-34 Mentor for close air support and air reconnaissance were based at the airport. The Pucarás were deployed against the British land forces , shooting down a Westland Scout ; and the Aermacchis against
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#1733093001389748-563: The historic Racha region on the right bank of the Rioni between the Racha and Lechkhumi Ranges and at an elevation of 544 m (1,785 ft) above sea level. The region is of tourist interest and it is the cradle of one of Georgia's pre-eminent wine varieties, the Khvanchkara, named after the village of origin 10 kilometers west of Ambrolauri . Since 2017, Vanilla Sky Airlines flies several times
782-579: The mines). However, the UK eventually commenced these operations in 2009 to comply with the Ottawa Treaty . On 14 November 2020, the island was declared free of landmines. After the war, the Royal Air Force (RAF) remained in the Falkland Islands, and took over the airport, renaming it RAF Stanley . Immediately after the conflict, air defence of the islands and garrison was carried out by Royal Navy Sea Harrier FRS.1 and RAF Harrier GR.3 at RAF Stanley and from
816-536: The rundown of No. 23 Squadron RAF in the UK, and the resultant transfer of its 'nameplate' from RAF Wattisham to the RAF Stanley unit. The Harrier detachment was renamed No. 1453 Flight , and remained at RAF Stanley to provide standby air defence, in event of excessive crosswinds, until RAF Mount Pleasant was opened in 1985. In addition, long range Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft of No. 1312 Flight , resident at RAF Stanley, provided tanker support for
850-618: The style LFddnn , where dd indicates the department while nn is a sequential counter. The French Federation of Ultralight Motorized Gliders was formally named the keeper of these codes. Aerodrome de Torreilles in France, for instance, has code LF6651. In Antarctica many aerodromes have pseudo ICAO-codes with AT and two digits, while others have proper codes from countries performing air control such as NZ for New Zealand . Port Stanley Airport Port Stanley Airport ( IATA : PSY , ICAO : SFAL ), also merely known as Stanley Airport ,
884-561: The two Black Buck missions left twin strings of craters which are still visible on satellite photos of the airport today. However, none of these attacks ever put the airfield out of action entirely, and even both Black Buck raids only managed to score one direct hit on the runway, which was repaired sufficiently to allow for Lockheed C-130 Hercules , Lockheed L-188 Electra , and Fokker F-28 transport aircraft to resume night supply flights within 48 hours. These flights continued to bring supplies, weapons, vehicles, and fuel, and airlift out
918-470: The two airports share runways and ground and air control facilities. In small countries like Belgium or the Netherlands, almost all aerodromes have an ICAO code. For larger countries like the UK or Germany this is not feasible, given the limited number of letter codes. Some countries have addressed this issue by introducing a scheme of sub-ICAO aerodrome codes; France, for example, assigns pseudo ICAO codes in
952-538: The war, the Argentines also heavily mined Yorke Bay to the north of the airport and Surf / Rookery Bays to the south-east with minimum metal mines ; under the presumption the British would attempt an amphibious landing on the east coast of East Falkland to quickly recapture both the airfield and Stanley in one fell swoop. However, these minefields proved unnecessary when the British opted instead to land at San Carlos on
986-415: The west coast of East Falkland, and attack overland towards Stanley. The beaches surrounding Port Stanley Airport remained heavily mined long after the war, as demining had been deemed impractical due to the constantly drifting sand dunes , and the disruption that would be done to the breeding colonies of the threatened Magellanic penguin , which continued to thrive on the beaches (being too light to set off
1020-439: The wounded until the end of the conflict. The Argentines left the runway covered with piles of earth during the day, in an attempt to mislead the British regarding the condition of the airfield. In fact, the British were well aware that C-130 flights continued to use the airfield, and attempted to interdict these flights leading to the loss of one C-130 on 1 June, which was not, however, engaged in any resupply mission. During
1054-691: Was assigned both LLJR (its Israeli persona) as well as OJJR (its Jordanian persona), but the airport itself fell into disuse. In the contiguous United States and Canada, many airports have ICAO codes that are simply copies of their three-letter IATA codes, with the geographical prefix added on (e.g., YEG and CYEG both refer to Edmonton International Airport , while IAD and KIAD both refer to Washington Dulles International Airport ). This similarity does not extend to Alaska (PAxx), Hawaii (PHxx), or U.S. territories. Kahului Airport on Maui , for instance, has an IATA code of OGG and an ICAO code of PHOG. ICAO airport codes do not begin with I or J or X or Q, though
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1088-495: Was designed and constructed in such a way it can easily be expanded if future demand deems that necessary. That moment hasn't arrived yet by 2022. ICAO airport code The recommendations for ICAO airport codes were adopted on 24 March 1959, and came into force on 1 October the same year. ICAO codes are separate and different from IATA codes , the latter of which have three letters and are generally used for airline timetables , reservations, and baggage tags. For example,
1122-467: Was maintained until 1982, representing the only connection to the islands. At first, these flights landed at a temporary airstrip at Hookers Point at the east end of Port Stanley , where the runway was constructed of Marston Mat (also known as pierced steel planking or PSP). This situation continued until 1978 , when a storm tore up large areas of the PSP runway, rendering it unusable. By this time however,
1156-556: Was removed, bringing the main 09/27 runway down to its present length and width of 918 by 19 metres (3,012 by 62 feet). Although flights from Chile by regional airline Aerovias DAP did use the airport in the early 1990s, for the most part, external services have used RAF Mount Pleasant since it opened. Stanley Airport is used by internal flights and provides connections to British bases in Antarctica. The Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS) operates internal flights within
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