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96-631: Miami International Airport ( IATA : MIA , ICAO : KMIA , FAA LID : MIA ) — also known as MIA and historically as Wilcox Field — is the primary international airport serving Miami , Florida and its metropolitan area with over 1,000 daily flights to 185 domestic and international destinations, including most countries in Latin America . The airport is in an unincorporated area in Miami-Dade County , 8 miles (13 km) west-northwest of Downtown Miami , in metropolitan Miami, adjacent to

192-704: A Miami hub in 1992, positioning a fleet of DC-9 aircraft at MIA to serve destinations in Central America and the Caribbean . The hub took advantage of rights granted under the 1991 bilateral aviation agreement between the United States and Spain. During the 1990s, the airport had sterile international-to-international transit facilities in Concourse D (American, British, and Alitalia) and Concourse F (Iberia and four Central American carriers), and there were plans to establish

288-575: A base at MIA in August 1988. Lorenzo considered selling Eastern's profitable Latin America routes to AA as part of a Chapter 11 reorganization of Eastern in early 1989 but backed out in a last-ditch effort to rebuild the MIA hub. The effort quickly proved futile, and American Airlines purchased the routes (including the route authority between Miami and London then held by Eastern sister company Continental Airlines ) in

384-627: A base for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II , and construction began the next day. Homestead opened as an Air Transport Command (ATC) ferry airfield in November; ATC pilots were trained at the base from February 1943 in the C-46 , C-54 and C-87 aircraft. The base was heavily damaged by a hurricane in September 1945, resulting in its inactivation on 14 December 1945. When

480-487: A demand, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners approved a $ 5 billion improvement plan to take place over 15 years and concluding in 2035. The comprehensive plan includes concourse optimization, construction of two on-site luxury hotels, the demolition of Concourse G, and expansion of the airport's cargo capacity. Miami International Airport contains three terminals (North, Central, and South) and six concourses for

576-452: A flight to Atlanta in January 2000. Concourse A was built on the northeast side of the terminal in 1995, and Concourse H was rebuilt in 1997. Concourse J was built in August 2007 along with an expansion of the terminal on the south side. American began the development of the current North Terminal in the 1990s. Concourses B and C were demolished as part of the project with Concourse A becoming

672-440: A liquidation of Eastern which was completed in 1990. Later in the 1990s, American transferred more employees and equipment to MIA from its failed domestic hubs at Nashville, Tennessee , and Raleigh–Durham, North Carolina . The hub grew from 34 daily departures in 1989 to 157 in 1990, 190 in 1992, and a peak of 301 in 1995, including long-haul flights to Europe and South America . Today Miami is American's largest air freight hub and

768-550: A new airport is built, replacing the old one, leaving the city's new "major" airport (or the only remaining airport) code to no longer correspond with the city's name. The original airport in Nashville, Tennessee, was built in 1936 as part of the Works Progress Administration and called Berry Field with the designation, BNA. A new facility known as Nashville International Airport was built in 1987 but still uses BNA. This

864-478: A station at the MIC have been on hold since it was discovered that the platform built for that purpose was too short for Amtrak trains. As of early 2022, there is still no Amtrak service at the MIC. The rental car center consolidates airport car rental operations at the MIC. Miami International Airport has direct public transit service to Miami-Dade Transit 's Metrorail , Metrobus network; Greyhound Bus Lines and to

960-454: A sterile corridor for international connecting passengers between six concourses. However, the September 11, 2001, attacks made it necessary for many foreigners to obtain a visa in order to transit the United States, and as a result, United Airlines and Iberia closed their hubs in 2004. MIA is projected to process 77 million passengers and 4 million tons of freight annually by 2040. To meet such

1056-691: A tenant command at Homestead AFB in June 1957. The 19th Bombardment Wing (19 BMW) moved to Homestead AFB from Pinecastle Air Force Base , Florida in April 1956 and also flew the B-47 and KC-97. The 379 BMW moved to Wurtsmith Air Force Base , Michigan without equipment in January 1961 in preparation for transition to the B-52H Stratofortress and KC-135A Stratotanker . In 1960, three Air Force Reserve (AFRES) units previously located at Miami International Airport ,

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1152-433: A tent city in preparation for a possible land invasion of Cuba. Additional U.S. Army air defense artillery personnel manned several MIM-23 Hawk mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) batteries and AN/MPQ-35 search radars that were place around the base for defense against Soviet and/or Cuban aircraft. The 512th Troop Carrier Wing (512 TCW), an AFRES unit operationally gained by TAC and based at NAS Willow Grove , Pennsylvania,

1248-427: A terminal on the opposite side of LeJeune Road from the airport and would stop traffic on the road in order to taxi aircraft to and from its terminal. Miami Army Airfield opened in 1943 during World War II to the south of Pan American Field. The runways of the two were originally separated by railroad tracks, but the two airfields were listed in some directories as a single facility. Following World War II in 1945,

1344-588: A third F-4E fighter squadron combat-coded for overseas deployment. At the same time, among the AFRES units, the 301 ARS acquired former SH-34J Seabat helicopters from the US Navy, redesignating them as HH-34Js and providing a rotary-wing capability in addition to their amphibious fixed-wing capability. The 915 MAG also inactivated and the 79 MAS retired its C-124C aircraft, shifting to an airborne early warning mission with EC-121T Warning Star aircraft and being redesignated as

1440-401: A total of 131 gates. With the exception of Concourse G, all concourses contain gates to access U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities. American operates three Admirals Clubs and one Flagship Lounge across Concourses D & E. Numerous other lounges exist across the airport as well, including an American Express Centurion Lounge located in Concourse D. The North Terminal (Concourse D)

1536-506: A wing for American Eagle commuter flights. Pan Am was acquired by Delta Air Lines in 1991, but filed for bankruptcy shortly thereafter. Its remaining international routes from Miami to Europe and Latin America were sold to United Airlines for $ 135 million as part of Pan Am's emergency liquidation that December. United's Latin American hub offered 24 daily departures in the summer of 1992, growing to 36 daily departures to 21 destinations in

1632-580: Is South Florida 's main airport for long-haul international flights and a hub for the Southeastern United States with passenger and cargo flights to cities throughout the Americas, Europe , Africa , and Asia . It is the largest gateway between the U.S. and Latin America and the Caribbean and one of the largest airline hubs in the nation. The first airport on the site of MIA opened in the 1920s and

1728-499: Is GSN and its IATA code is SPN, and some coincide with IATA codes of non-U.S. airports. Canada's unusual codes—which bear little to no similarity with any conventional abbreviation to the city's name—such as YUL in Montréal , and YYZ in Toronto , originated from the two-letter codes used to identify weather reporting stations in the 1930s. The letters preceding the two-letter code follow

1824-606: Is administered by the IATA's headquarters in Montreal , Canada. The codes are published semi-annually in the IATA Airline Coding Directory. IATA provides codes for airport handling entities, and for certain railway stations. Alphabetical lists of airports sorted by IATA code are available. A list of railway station codes , shared in agreements between airlines and rail lines such as Amtrak , SNCF , and Deutsche Bahn ,

1920-544: Is available. However, many railway administrations have their own list of codes for their stations, such as the list of Amtrak station codes . Airport codes arose out of the convenience that the practice brought pilots for location identification in the 1930s. Initially, pilots in the United States used the two-letter code from the National Weather Service (NWS) for identifying cities. This system became unmanageable for cities and towns without an NWS identifier, and

2016-518: Is different from the name in English, yet the airport code represents only the English name. Examples include: Due to scarcity of codes, some airports are given codes with letters not found in their names: The use of 'X' as a filler letter is a practice to create three-letter identifiers when more straightforward options were unavailable: Some airports in the United States retained their NWS ( National Weather Service ) codes and simply appended an X at

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2112-438: Is for the exclusive use of American Airlines. The Central Terminal (Concourses E, F, and G) has varied uses; Concourse E is mainly used by American and its Oneworld partner airlines along with some Caribbean and Latin American airlines, and E's satellite terminal has a gate that can accommodate an Airbus A380 . Concourses F and G are used by non-AA domestic and Canadian carriers and flights. The South Terminal (Concourses H and J)

2208-513: Is in conjunction to rules aimed to avoid confusion that seem to apply in the United States, which state that "the first and second letters or second and third letters of an identifier may not be duplicated with less than 200 nautical miles separation." Thus, Washington, D.C. area's three airports all have radically different codes: IAD for Washington–Dulles , DCA for Washington–Reagan (District of Columbia Airport), and BWI for Baltimore (Baltimore–Washington International, formerly BAL). Since HOU

2304-577: Is located in Miami–Dade County, Florida , to the northeast of the city of Homestead . It is home to the 482nd Fighter Wing (482 FW) of the Air Force Reserve Command 's Tenth Air Force (10 AF), as well as the headquarters of Special Operations Command South . Much of Homestead Air Force Base was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and subsequently rebuilt. The installation was named Homestead Army Air Field on 16 September 1942 as

2400-495: Is located on the west side of the airport, inside the triangle formed by Runways 12/30 and 9/27. Cargo carriers such as LATAM Cargo , Atlas Air , Amerijet International , and DHL operate from this area. The largest privately owned facility is the Centurion Cargo complex in the northeast corner of the airport, with over 51,000 m (550,000 sq ft) of warehouse space. FedEx and UPS operate their own facilities in

2496-532: Is not followed outside the United States: In addition, since three letter codes starting with Q are widely used in radio communication, cities whose name begins with "Q" also had to find alternate codes, as in the case of: IATA codes should not be confused with the FAA identifiers of U.S. airports. Most FAA identifiers agree with the corresponding IATA codes, but some do not, such as Saipan , whose FAA identifier

2592-423: Is served directly by Tri-Rail , Miami's commuter rail system, which began service on April 5, 2015. Tri-Rail connects MIA to northern Miami-Dade, Broward , and Palm Beach counties. Tri-Rail directly serves points north such as Boca Raton , Deerfield Beach , Delray Beach , Fort Lauderdale , Hollywood , Pompano Beach and West Palm Beach . MIA has a number of air cargo facilities. The largest cargo complex

2688-518: Is the 10th busiest airport in the U.S. with 17,500,096 passengers for the year. It is Florida 's busiest airport by total aircraft operations, total cargo traffic and total passenger traffic. The airport is American Airlines ' third-largest hub and serves as its primary gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean . Miami also serves as a focus city for Avianca , Frontier Airlines , and LATAM , both for passengers and cargo operations. Miami International Airport covers 1,335 hectares (3,300 acres). It

2784-489: Is the main connecting point in the airline's north–south international route network. In December 1992, South African Airways launched flights to Johannesburg via Cape Town using a Boeing 747. The company's codeshare agreement with American Airlines supported the route. The carrier later decided to codeshare with Delta Air Lines instead, which operated a hub in Atlanta. Consequently, South African replaced its Miami service with

2880-507: Is the main non-Oneworld international terminal. Concourse H is largely used by Delta and non-Oneworld international carriers that send narrowbody planes largely from Central and the northern parts of South America, and some widebody flights; and Concourse J is used by most non-Oneworld international carriers that send widebody planes and is the main terminal at MIA for non-Oneworld trans-continental flights. Concourse J also has one gate that can accommodate an A380. Miami International Airport uses

2976-416: Is used for William P. Hobby Airport , the new Houston–Intercontinental became IAH. The code BKK was originally assigned to Bangkok–Don Mueang and was later transferred to Suvarnabhumi Airport , while the former adopted DMK. The code ISK was originally assigned to Gandhinagar Airport (Nashik's old airport) and later on transferred to Ozar Airport (Nashik's current airport). Shanghai–Hongqiao retained

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3072-467: The 301st Air Rescue Squadron with its SA-16 (later redesignated as HU-16) Albatross amphibious air-sea rescue aircraft and the 435th Troop Carrier Wing (435 TCW) and its 76th Troop Carrier Squadron (76 TCS) with C-119 Flying Boxcar aircraft relocated to Homestead AFB. On 1 July 1961, the 19 BMW was redesignated as the 19th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) and began converting to the B-52H and KC-135A. In 1962,

3168-405: The 31st Fighter Wing (31 FW), the 482 TFW became the 482nd Fighter Wing (482 FW), and the subordinate tactical fighter squadrons in both wings were redesignated as fighter squadrons (FS). At the same time, the 301 ARS, which had been in the process of retiring its HH-3E aircraft and replacing them with HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, was redesignated as the 301st Rescue Squadron (301 RQS), while

3264-534: The 31st Tactical Fighter Wing , a unit of the Tactical Air Command (TAC), relocated to Homestead AFB from George Air Force Base , California with its F-100 Super Sabre jet fighters and established itself as a TAC tenant unit at Homestead, the base remaining under SAC control. Homestead AFB also figured prominently during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis . All SAC aircraft of the 19 BMW were dispersed while

3360-478: The 79th Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron (79 AEW&CS), operationally-gained by ADC. With the end of combat operations in Vietnam in 1973, Homestead AFB and its host and tenant units were re-centered on Cold War mission taskings. The 301 ARRS transitioned to an all rotary-wing unit, retiring its last HU-16 and acquiring HH-1H Iroqouis (“Huey”) helicopters in addition to its HH-34Js. During 1973 and 1974,

3456-482: The 93rd Tactical Fighter Squadron (93 TFS) was activated at Homestead AFB with F-4C Phantom II aircraft. The following year, ADC was also inactivated and all its former assets and units were transferred to TAC, to include shifting the 125 FIG and its Det 1 to the operational claimancy of TAC. In 1979 and 1980, the 31 TFW transferred its F-4E aircraft to ANG units and the Egyptian Air Force and transitioned to

3552-624: The Air Defense Command (ADC) regarding Soviet Air Force activity in Cuba, Detachment 1 of the 125th Fighter Interceptor Group (125 FIG, Det 1) of the Florida Air National Guard was established at Homestead AFB with no less than two armed F-102A Delta Dagger aircraft and a combination of full-time Air Reserve Technician (ART) personnel and drilling Traditional Guardsmen (TG) / Drill Status Guardsmen (DSG) on 24/7/365 alert, rotated from

3648-561: The Canadian transcontinental railroads were built, each station was assigned its own two-letter Morse code : When the Canadian government established airports, it used the existing railway codes for them as well. If the airport had a weather station, authorities added a "Y" to the front of the code, meaning "Yes" to indicate it had a weather station or some other letter to indicate it did not. When international codes were created in cooperation with

3744-606: The City of Miami established a Port Authority and raised bond revenue to purchase Pan American Field, which had been since renamed 36th Street Airport , from Pan Am. It merged with the former Miami Army Airfield , which was purchased from the United States Army Air Force south of the railroad in 1949 and expanded further in 1951 when the railroad line itself was moved south to make more room. United States Air Force Reserve troop carrier and rescue squadrons also operated from

3840-669: The F-4D Phantom II , eventually assuming a Formal Training Unit (FTU) role for the F-4D. Also in 1979, the 301 ARRS retired its HH-1H aircraft and acquired HC-130P/N Hercules search and rescue aircraft, returning to a dual fixed-wing and rotary-wing fleet. With its new emphasis as the F-4D FTU, the 31 TFW was redesignated as the 31st Tactical Training Wing (31 TTW) in March 1981 while retaining host wing responsibilities for Homestead AFB. In addition to

3936-554: The MIA Mover , a free people mover system to transfer passengers between MIA terminals and the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) that opened to the public on September 9, 2011. The MIC provides direct access from the airport to ground transportation (shuttle/bus/rail) as well as rental car companies. A Metrorail station opened at the MIC on July 28, 2012; a Tri-Rail station followed on April 5, 2015. Plans for Amtrak to operate

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4032-544: The Tri-Rail commuter rail system. Metrorail operates the Orange Line train from Miami International Airport to destinations such as Downtown , Brickell , Health District , Coconut Grove , Coral Gables , Dadeland , Hialeah , South Miami , and Wynwood . It takes approximately 15 minutes to get from the airport to Downtown. Miami-Dade Transit operates an Airport Flyer bus that connects MIA directly to South Beach . MIA

4128-481: The U.S. Air Force was established as a separate service on 18 September 1947, the old Homestead AAF lay in ruins. Reactivated for the Cold War as a Strategic Air Command (SAC) installation, an advance team arrived at the old base in the summer of 1954 and initiated clean-up and reconstruction efforts. The installation was renamed as Homestead Air Force Base on 1 February 1955 and the 379th Bombardment Wing (379 BMW)

4224-520: The 125 FIG (to include 125 FIG, Det 1) exchanged its F-102 aircraft for F-106A and F-106B Delta Dart aircraft transferred from the Regular Air Force. This was followed between 1974 and 1975 with the 301 ARRS replacing its HH-34Js with HH-3E Jolly Green Giant helicopters transferred from the Regular Air Force. On 1 December 1976, the former 915 MAG was also reactivated as the 915th Airborne Early Warning and Control Group (915 AEW&CG), again with

4320-465: The 20th Street Terminal) opened. The 20th Street Terminal at the time the largest central airport terminal in the world, with five concourses (Concourses C-G) and a 270-room hotel. In 1961, the terminal was expanded with the addition of a sixth concourse (Concourse H) on the south side, which was the first concourse at the airport to include jetways. By 1965, the original five concourses were renovated with jetways added to them. The 20th Street Terminal

4416-745: The 301 RQS rescue aircraft to Patrick Air Force Base at Cocoa Beach, Florida . All base personnel and their families were under evacuation orders prior to the arrival of the Category 5 storm. The storm-related damage and destruction at Homestead AFB was extensive and precluded any immediate return of home station units, especially those conducting or in direct support of operational flying missions. The 31 FW and essential personnel stayed at Wright-Patterson AFB until April 1993, at which point they were transferred back to MacDill AFB . The 125 FIG Det 1 would take up temporary residence at Naval Air Station Key West , Florida, utilizing fighter alert facilities dating from

4512-453: The 31 TFW deployed to Southeast Asia for combat operations over Vietnam, the 4531st Tactical Fighter Wing was established as a provisional unit for host wing duties at Homestead AFB pending the return of the 31 TFW in 1970. While the 31 TFW was deployed, the 19 BMW moved without personnel or equipment on 25 July 1968 to Robins Air Force Base , Georgia, and absorbing the resources of the 465th Bombardment Wing (465 BMW) at Robins AFB and marking

4608-486: The 31 TFW was augmented by additional F-100 aircraft from the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing (401 TFW) from England AFB , Louisiana and the 474th Tactical Fighter Wing (474 TFW) from Cannon AFB , New Mexico. This combined organization, designated the 1st Provisional Air Division, was composed of over 181 F-100 fighter-bombers and over 1600 pilots and forward deployed aircraft maintenance personnel. Over 10,000 U.S. Army personnel were also deployed to Homestead AFB and housed in

4704-628: The 482 FW in 2015, while the base concurrently maintains a 24/7/365 alert detachment of armed F-15C Eagle fighter aircraft from the Florida ANG's 125th Fighter Wing Detachment 1 (125 FW Det 1) conducting the Continental NORAD Region (CONR) air sovereignty/air defense mission of the southeastern United States. Flying and notable non-flying units based at Homestead Air Reserve Base. Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Homestead ARB are subordinate to

4800-554: The 79 AEW&CS as a subordinate unit. With the impending phaseout of the EC-121 as the new E-3A Sentry aircraft, also known as the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), entered the USAF inventory, the 915 AEW&CG was redesignated the 915th Tactical Fighter Group (915 TFG) on 1 October 1978 with the retirement of its EC-121T aircraft. The 79 AEW&CS was also inactivated and

4896-603: The Air Force went through its most massive structural reorganization since its establishment as a separate service in September 1947. This included the inactivation of TAC and its succession by the Air Combat Command (ACC) on 1 June 1992. With this change, all flying units at Homestead AFB became part of ACC, either directly in the case of active duty units, or operationally-gained in the case of assigned AFRES and ANG units. As an ACC installation, Homestead AFB's 31 TFW also became

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4992-507: The Cuban Missile Crisis while the 482 FW would remain at MacDill. Given the extent of damage, the U.S. Navy elected to close NAVSECGRUACT Homestead at Homestead AFB in June 1993. The stay at MacDill AFB and NAS Key West for the fighter aircraft was short-lived as the 31 FW, 482 FW, and 125 FW Det 1 returned to Homestead in March 1994 while the 301 RQS aircraft and personnel permanently remained at Patrick AFB, eventually evolving into

5088-490: The F-16 or losing flying missions outright. Ultimately, most of the base, to include the runway and airfield proper, remained under DoD control and completed its conversion from an active duty base to its present-day reserve base configuration with the 482 FW as the host wing and continuing to fly its F-16C/D Block 30 fighter aircraft. The active duty 367th Fighter Squadron (367 FS) was added as an ACC Active Associate F-16 unit to

5184-502: The F-4D, relinquishing the FTU mission and transitioning to the F-16A and F-16B Fighting Falcon aircraft as a fully combat coded unit, resulting in the wing again being redesignated as the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing (31 TFW). In 1987, the 125 FIG also commenced replacement of its F-106 aircraft with F-16A and F-16B aircraft at home station in its F-16 Air Defense Fighter (F-16A/B ADF) variant, which

5280-850: The Miami area to Key West in what would become the Miami-Homestead Air Defense Area of the U.S. Army Air Defense Command (ARADCOM). The ARADCOM functional activities came under the aegis of the 6th Battalion, 65th Artillery (later renamed the 6th Battalion, 65th Air Defense Artillery) operating a combination of MIM-13 Hawk and fixed-site MIM-3 Nike Ajax , later upgraded to MIM-14 Nike Hercules , surface-to-air missile (SAM) batteries and associated radar and command and control sites. These Army air defense facilities would remain in operation at Homestead AFB and across South Florida until 1979. One of these sites, Nike Missile Site HM-69 located just west of Homestead ARB, remains preserved today and open to

5376-601: The U.S. For example, several airports in Alaska have scheduled commercial service, such as Stebbins and Nanwalek , which use FAA codes instead of ICAO codes. Thus, neither system completely includes all airports with scheduled service. Some airports are identified in colloquial speech by their IATA code. Examples include LAX and JFK . Homestead Air Force Base Homestead Air Reserve Base ( IATA : HST , ICAO : KHST , FAA LID : HST ) ( Homestead ARB ), previously known as Homestead Air Force Base ( Homestead AFB )

5472-481: The United States, because "Y" was seldom used in the United States, Canada simply used the weather station codes for its airports, changing the "Y" to a "Z" if it conflicted with an airport code already in use. The result is that most major Canadian airport codes start with "Y" followed by two letters in the city's name (for example, YOW for O tta w a , YWG for W innipe g , YYC for C algar y , or YVR for V ancouve r ), whereas other Canadian airports append

5568-418: The airport from 1949 through 1959, when the last unit relocated to nearby Homestead Air Force Base (now Homestead Air Reserve Base ). Pan Am and Eastern also constructed maintenance bases in Miami in the late 1940s, which made the airport the world's largest commercial aircraft maintenance and overhaul facility at the time. The old terminal on 36th Street was closed in 1959 when the current terminal (known as

5664-440: The airport itself instead of the city it serves, while another code is reserved which refers to the city itself which can be used to search for flights to any of its airports. For instance: Or using a code for the city in one of the major airports and then assigning another code to another airport: When different cities with the same name each have an airport, they need to be assigned different codes. Examples include: Sometimes,

5760-418: The airport's former name, such as Orlando International Airport 's MCO (for Mc C o y Air Force Base), or Chicago's O'Hare International Airport , which is coded ORD for its original name: Or char d Field. In rare cases, the code comes from the airport's unofficial name, such as Kahului Airport 's OGG (for local aviation pioneer Jimmy H ogg ). In large metropolitan areas, airport codes are often named after

5856-518: The assets of the 401st Fighter Wing (401 FW), a US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) organization. The same day, Homestead AFB transferred from ACC to AFRES control and was renamed Homestead Air Reserve Station with the 482 FW as the new host wing. As part of the BRAC process, the acreage "footprint" of the base was reduced and some portions of the base were declared surplus and relinquished from DoD control, with

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5952-535: The cities of Miami and Miami Springs , and the village of Virginia Gardens . Nearby cities include Hialeah , Doral , and the Census-designated place of Fontainebleau . In 2021, Miami International Airport became the busiest international cargo airport in the U.S. and the busiest U.S. gateway for international passengers, surpassing John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City . As of 2021, it

6048-491: The code SHA, while the newer Shanghai–Pudong adopted PVG. The opposite was true for Berlin : the airport Berlin–Tegel used the code TXL, while its smaller counterpart Berlin–Schönefeld used SXF; the Berlin Brandenburg Airport has the airport code BER, which is also part of its branding. The airports of Hamburg (HAM) and Hannover (HAJ) are less than 100 nautical miles (190 km) apart and therefore share

6144-404: The eastern end of the expanded Concourse D. Although the terminal was originally scheduled to be completed in 2004, numerous delays arose in the construction process, and Miami-Dade County took over control of the project in 2005, at which time the project had a budget of $ 2.85 billion. The terminal was ultimately completed in 2011 and included Skytrain , an automated people mover system, as well as

6240-571: The end home-based B-52 and KC-135 operations at Homestead AFB. 1971 also saw extensive changes at Homestead AFB. Following its return from Southeast Asia, the 31 TFW transitioned from the F-100 to the F-4E Phantom II and performed concurrent missions of air defense of southern Florida in tandem with the Florida ANG's 125 FIG detachment, combat crew replacement training in the F-4E in two fighter squadrons, and

6336-919: The end. Examples include: A lot of minor airfields without scheduled passenger traffic have ICAO codes but not IATA codes, since the four letter codes allow more number of codes, and IATA codes are mainly used for passenger services such as tickets, and ICAO codes by pilots. In the US, such airfields use FAA codes instead of ICAO. There are airports with scheduled service for which there are ICAO codes but not IATA codes, such as Nkhotakota Airport/Tangole Airport in Malawi or Chōfu Airport in Tokyo, Japan. There are also several minor airports in Russia (e.g., Omsukchan Airport ) which lack IATA codes and instead use internal Russian codes for booking. Flights to these airports cannot be booked through

6432-557: The first three letters of the city in which it is located, for instance: The code may also be a combination of the letters in its name, such as: Sometimes the airport code reflects pronunciation, rather than spelling, namely: For many reasons, some airport codes do not fit the normal scheme described above. Some airports, for example, cross several municipalities or regions, and therefore, use codes derived from some of their letters, resulting in: Other airports—particularly those serving cities with multiple airports—have codes derived from

6528-474: The following format: Most large airports in Canada have codes that begin with the letter "Y", although not all "Y" codes are Canadian (for example, YUM for Yuma, Arizona , and YNT for Yantai , China), and not all Canadian airports start with the letter "Y" (for example, ZBF for Bathurst, New Brunswick ). Many Canadian airports have a code that starts with W, X or Z, but none of these are major airports. When

6624-593: The form of " YYZ ", a song by the rock band Rush , which utilizes the Morse code signal as a musical motif. Some airports have started using their IATA codes as brand names , such as Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Numerous New Zealand airports use codes that contain the letter Z, to distinguish them from similar airport names in other countries. Examples include HLZ for Hamilton , ZQN for Queenstown , and WSZ for Westport . Predominantly, airport codes are named after

6720-473: The group's home station at Imeson Airport in Jacksonville, Florida. This detachment would also become known as FL ANG Operating Location ALPHA ALPHA (OL-AA). On 1 December 1965, the 435 TCW inactivated and the 915 TCG was redesignated the 915th Air Transport Group (915 ATG). The next change was the January 1966 redesignation of the 301 ARS as the 301st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (301 ARRS). This

6816-482: The international air booking systems or have international luggage transferred there, and thus, they are booked instead through the airline or a domestic booking system. Several heliports in Greenland have 3-letter codes used internally which might be IATA codes for airports in faraway countries. There are several airports with scheduled service that have not been assigned ICAO codes that do have IATA codes, especially in

6912-500: The late 1970s and early 1980s, Air Florida had a hub at MIA, with a nonstop flight to London , England which it acquired from National upon the latter's merger with Pan Am. Air Florida ceased operations in 1982 after the crash of Air Florida Flight 90 . British Airways flew a Concorde SST (supersonic transport) triweekly between Miami and London via Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. , from 1984 to 1991. The terminal

7008-612: The name of the airport itself, for instance: This is also true with some cities with a single airport (even if there is more than one airport in the metropolitan area of said city), such as BDL for Hartford, Connecticut 's B ra dl ey International Airport or Baltimore's BWI, for B altimore/ W ashington I nternational Airport ; however, the latter also serves Washington, D.C. , alongside Dulles International Airport (IAD, for I nternational A irport D ulles) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA, for D istrict of C olumbia A irport). The code also sometimes comes from

7104-420: The northeast corner of MIA, Eastern's maintenance base. Eastern remained one of the largest employers in the Miami metropolitan area until ongoing labor union unrest, coupled with the airline's acquisition by Texas Air in 1986, ultimately forced the airline into bankruptcy in 1989. Eastern operated out of Concourses B through D on the north side of the terminal, where American's Concourse D stands today. Concourse E

7200-418: The northwest corner of the airport, off of 36th Street. In addition to its large passenger terminal in Concourse D, American Airlines operates a maintenance base to the east of Concourse D, centered around a semicircular hangar originally used by National Airlines which can accommodate three widebody aircraft. IATA airport code The assignment of these codes is governed by IATA Resolution 763, and it

7296-416: The one they are located in: Other airport codes are of obscure origin, and each has its own peculiarities: In Asia, codes that do not correspond with their city's names include Niigata 's KIJ , Nanchang 's KHN and Pyongyang 's FNJ . EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg , which serves three countries, has three airport codes: BSL, MLH, EAP. Some cities have a name in their respective language which

7392-446: The organizational changes in TAC modifying the 31 TTW mission, concurrent changes in AFRES in April 1981 resulted in the inactivation of the 915 TFG and its replacement replaced by the newly activated 482nd Tactical Fighter Wing (482 TFW), absorbing the personnel and assets of the 915th while maintaining the extant 93 TFS as its operational flying squadron. In 1985, the 31 TTW began retiring

7488-487: The parent unit for 125 FIG, Det 1 was redesignated as the 125th Fighter Group (125 FG). As Hurricane Andrew approached South Florida in late August 1992, the base evacuated their F-16 fighter aircraft, with the 31 TFW aircraft going to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio; the 482 FW aircraft to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida ; the 125 FIG Det 1 aircraft to their home station of Jacksonville ANGB ; and

7584-597: The present day 920th Rescue Wing . During this time, Homestead AFB was placed on the Base Realignment and Closure Commission 's initial base closings list, potentially dooming the base to closure. However, the BRAC Commission recommended retaining Homestead AFB and rebuilding and realigning the installation as an AFRES installation. The 31 FW inactivated on 1 April 1994, reactivating the same day without personnel or equipment at Aviano Air Base , Italy where it assumed

7680-472: The public under the auspices of the National Park Service . On 11 February 1963, the 915th Troop Carrier Group (915 TCG) was activated as a TAC-gained AFRES organization at Homestead AFB under the 435 TCW, with the 76 TCS as a subordinate unit. 1965 and 1966 also saw significant changes to AFRES and Air National Guard (ANG) operations at Homestead AFB. In early 1965, given increased concerns of

7776-485: The ravaged station. The civilian community, including state and federal government leaders, rallied in support of the station, and launched a fight for the station's survival. The BRAC Commission subsequently withdrew Homestead ARS from the closure list in June 1995. In 1997, AFRES was redesignated from a Field Operating Agency to Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), an Air Force Major Command (MAJCOM), and Homestead ARS became an AFRC installation. In December 2003, Homestead ARS

7872-430: The real estate and/or extant structures transferred to the control of local municipal entities, i.e., City of Homestead, Miami-Dade County, etc. For a period, transfer of the runway and airfield proper to Miami-Dade County was also considered, with the base envisioned for conversion to a joint civilian-military airport. In February 1995, Homestead ARS again faced potential closure from the 1995 BRAC, which sought to close

7968-501: The same first and middle letters, indicating that this rule might be followed only in Germany. Many cities retain historical names in their airport codes, even after having undergone an official name/spelling/transliteration change: Some airport codes are based on previous names associated with a present airport, often with a military heritage. These include: Some airports are named for an administrative division or nearby city, rather than

8064-497: The station code of Malton, Mississauga , where it is located). YUL is used for Montréal–Trudeau (UL was the ID code for the beacon in the city of Kirkland , now the location of Montréal–Trudeau). While these codes make it difficult for the public to associate them with a particular Canadian city, some codes have become popular in usage despite their cryptic nature, particularly at the largest airports. Toronto's code has entered pop culture in

8160-528: The summer of 1994, but returned to 24 daily departures in the summer of 1995 and never expanded further. United ended flights from Miami to South America, and shut down its Miami crew base, in May 2004, reallocating most Miami resources to its main hub in O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. United ceased all mainline service to Miami in 2005 with the introduction of its low-cost product Ted . Iberia also established

8256-504: The two-letter code of the radio beacons that were the closest to the actual airport, such as YQX in Gander or YXS in Prince George . Four of the ten provincial capital airports in Canada have ended up with codes beginning with YY, including: Canada's largest airport is YYZ for Toronto Pearson (as YTZ was already allocated to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport , the airport was given

8352-529: The use of two letters allowed only a few hundred combinations; a three-letter system of airport codes was implemented. This system allowed for 17,576 permutations, assuming all letters can be used in conjunction with each other. Since the U.S. Navy reserved "N" codes, and to prevent confusion with Federal Communications Commission broadcast call signs , which begin with "W" or "K", the airports of certain U.S. cities whose name begins with one of these letters had to adopt "irregular" airport codes: This practice

8448-495: Was activated at Homestead AFB on 1 November 1955. The 379 BMW replaced the 4276th Air Base Squadron, the latter unit having overseen the reconstruction of the base, and spent the next few months becoming organized and manned. The 379 BMW received B-47E Stratojet and KC-97G Stratofreighter aircraft in April 1956 and began training for strategic bombardment and air refueling operations. The U.S. Navy also established Naval Security Group Activity Homestead (NAVSECGRUACT Homestead) as

8544-484: Was again redesignated to its current name of Homestead Air Reserve Base . However, for a third time, Homestead ARB again faced potential closure, this time from the 2005 BRAC Commission. The base received numerous visits throughout the year from government decision makers and the BRAC Commission eventually decided to keep Homestead ARB open, to include redistributing nine more F-16 aircraft from other Air Reserve Component F-16 bases that were changing to aircraft other than

8640-676: Was also called to active service and forward deployed to Homestead AFB with its C-119 aircraft, augmenting the 435 TCW for possible air drop of U.S. Army personnel into Cuba incipient to a ground invasion of the island. Following the peaceful resolution of the crisis, forward deployed TAC and AFRES units returned to their home stations and the 19 BMW aircraft returned to Homestead AFB. U.S. Army personnel other than Hawk air defense crews also returned to home garrisons. Hawk air defense systems and personnel would later be replaced by an enhanced U.S. Army air defense artillery presence in South Florida from

8736-591: Was also reflected in rotational alert aircraft at 125 FIG, Det 1. By 1989, the 482 TFW also began retiring its F-4C aircraft and transitioning to the F-16A and F-16B. Finally, in 1990, the 301 ARRS was again redesignated as the 301st Air Rescue Squadron (301 ARS). Following Operation DESERT STORM in Spring 1991, the 31 TFW began retiring its F-16A and F-16B aircraft and transitioning to the F-16C and F-16D Block 40 variant. In 1992,

8832-587: Was expanded in the 1970s. Parking garages were added just east of the terminal and Concourse B opened on the north side of the terminal in 1973 to accommodate the expansion of Eastern Air Lines. In 1977, Concourse E's satellite terminal opened. The satellite was originally connected with shuttle buses, though a people mover was built to connect the satellite in 1980. Nonstop flights to Chicago and Newark started in late 1946, but nonstops didn't reach west beyond St. Louis and New Orleans until January 1962. Nonstop transatlantic flights to Europe began in 1970. In

8928-475: Was followed on 1 April 1966 by the redesignation of the 915 ATG as the 915th Military Airlift Group (915 MAG), inactivation of the group's 76 TCS, and activation of the 79th Military Airlift Squadron (79 MAS) at Homestead AFB flying the C-124C Globemaster II , all on the same day. With the impending departure of the 19 BMW, control of Homestead AFB passed from SAC to TAC on 1 July 1968. However, with

9024-594: Was further expanded in the 1980s. The original Concourses D and E were rebuilt early in the decade and Concourses B and F were expanded. Pedestrian bridges with moving walkways were built in 1985 connecting the parking garages with the third level of the terminal. Within the next few years, the moving walkway system on the third level was expanded to run along the full length of the terminal. After former Apollo 8 astronaut Frank Borman became president of Eastern Air Lines in 1975, he moved Eastern's headquarters from Rockefeller Center in New York City to Building 16 in

9120-511: Was known as Miami City Airport . Pan American World Airways ("Pan Am") opened an expanded facility adjacent to City Airport, Pan American Field , in 1928. Pan American Field was built on 116 acres of land on 36th Street and was the only mainland airport in the eastern United States that had port of entry facilities. Its runways were located around the threshold of today's Runway 26R. Eastern Air Lines began to serve Pan American Field in 1931, followed by National Airlines in 1936. National used

9216-572: Was the home for most international carriers, while Pan Am operated out of Concourses E and F. Amid Eastern's turmoil, American Airlines CEO Robert Crandall sought a new hub in order to utilize new aircraft which AA had on order. AA studies indicated that Delta Air Lines would provide strong competition on most routes from Eastern's hub at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta , but that MIA had many key routes only served by Eastern. American Airlines announced that it would establish

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