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93-526: Royal Air Force Akrotiri , commonly abbreviated RAF Akrotiri ( IATA : AKT , ICAO : LCRA ) ( Greek : Βασιλική Πολεμική Αεροπορία Ακρωτηρίου ; Turkish : Kraliyet Hava kuvvetleri Ağrotur ) is a large Royal Air Force (RAF) military airbase on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus . It is located in the Western Sovereign Base Area , one of two areas which comprise Akrotiri and Dhekelia ,

186-557: A British Overseas Territory , administered as a Sovereign Base Area . The station commander has a dual role, and is also the officer commanding the Akrotiri or Western Sovereign Base Area , reporting to the commander of British Forces Cyprus (BFC) who is also the Administrator . RAF Akrotiri was first constructed in the mid-1950s to relieve pressure on the main RAF station in the centre of

279-521: A brief respite from the action, during which it was relieved by No. II (AC) Squadron, No. IX (B) Squadron was selected to return to Gioia del Colle. Aircrew of No. IX (B) Squadron were inside Libyan airspace on 20 October 2011 when the conflict came to an end with the capture of Colonel Gaddafi by NTC fighters. The squadron returned home on 1 November 2011 after participating in one of the most successful NATO operations ever conducted ( Operation Unified Protector ). Nos. IX (B), II (AC) and 47 Squadrons were

372-501: A helicopter search and rescue unit. In addition, the role of No. 34 Squadron RAF Regiment provided support. In September 1976, the US U-2 operations were reassigned to the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (9th SRW), but the U-2 operation at RAF Akrotiri continued to be called Operating Location (OLIVE HARVEST) OH until September 1980. Thereafter, it became Detachment 3 of the 9th SRW, although

465-550: 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

558-420: A specialized night-operations unit, and is a gentle leg-pull in the direction of Air Marshal Hugh "Boom" Trenchard , widely credited as the founder of the RAF as an independent military force, who once famously remarked "Only bats and bloody fools fly at night!" The squadron emblem is accordingly a bat, with the motto "We Fly by Night". On 31 January 1939, No. IX Squadron became the third RAF squadron to receive

651-488: A very important status, as virtually the sole means for projecting British airpower into the eastern Mediterranean, outside of aircraft carriers. In 1960, independence was granted to Cyprus, with the RAF maintaining both RAF Nicosia and RAF Akrotiri as airfields, controlled by the Near East Air Force (NEAF). However, Akrotiri assumed more importance as Nicosia was used for greater civil aviation traffic. After 1966, it

744-499: 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

837-600: 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

930-518: 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

1023-650: Is governed by IATA Resolution 763, and it 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 ,

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1116-513: 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

1209-532: 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

1302-791: Is the oldest dedicated Bomber Squadron of the Royal Air Force . Formed in December 1914, it saw service throughout the First World War , including at the Somme and Passchendaele . During the Second World War , No. IX (B) Squadron was one of two Avro Lancaster units specialising in heavy precision bombing (the other was No. 617 Squadron ) and sank the battleship Tirpitz on 12 November 1944 in Operation Catechism . Between 1962 and April 1982,

1395-416: 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

1488-684: The 493rd FS and F-15E Strike Eagles of the 494th FS – based at RAF Lakenheath , Suffolk. On 16 November 2020, the Bats deployed Typhoons to Konya Air Base in Turkey to conduct training alongside locally based General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons . On 23 April 2021, four Typhoons from No. IX (B) Squadron deployed to Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base , Romania , to carry out enhanced Air Policing (eAP) on behalf of NATO. In March 2023, No. IX (B) Squadron deployed to Ämari Air Base , Estonia , in support of Operation Azotize, operating in tandem with TLG 71 of

1581-802: The Avro Vulcan B.2 and became part of the V-Force of RAF Bomber Command. Their Vulcans were equipped in late 1966 with WE.177 laydown nuclear bombs at RAF Cottesmore in the low-level penetration role and assigned to SACEUR , before spending six years in the same role 1969-74 at RAF Akrotiri , Cyprus, as part of the Near East Air Force Wing (NEAF) where the squadron formed part of the United Kingdom's commitment to CENTO . The years 1975-82 were spent based at RAF Waddington, again assigned to SACEUR, and still equipped with WE.177 nuclear laydown bombs in

1674-561: 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

1767-649: The German Air Force . Aircraft operated include: No. IX (B) Squadron is affiliated to HMS  St Albans , the King's Royal Hussars and the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers . In March 2017, the squadron was twinned with No. 9 Squadron of the Pakistan Air Force . In the village of Bardney , Lincolnshire there is a permanent reminder of all ranks killed or missing between 1939 and 1945. During

1860-682: The German spring offensive in March 1918. While it started to receive Bristol Fighters in July 1918, it did not completely discard its R.E.8s until after the end of the war. No. 9 Squadron returned to the UK in August 1919, arriving at Castle Bromwich where it remained until disbanding on 31 December 1919. The squadron's life as a bomber unit began on 1 April 1924, reforming at RAF Upavon , quickly moving to RAF Manston , with

1953-562: The Israel-Hamas war . The reasons for the flights were unknown. Four Typhoons based in Akrotiri struck Houthi targets in Yemen on 12 January 2024 . The RAF reportedly assisted Israel during the April 2024 Iranian strikes on Israeli territory from jets that had taken of from RAF Akrotiri and were flying over Iraq . During 2024, protesters demonstrated outside the base against the UK and US' use of

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2046-497: The RAPTOR (Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for Tornado) and LITENING III pod. No. IX (B) Squadron handed over their duties to No. II (AC) Squadron on 13 April after a three month deployment. In that time the squadron launched 450 times, amassed nearly 1,600 flying hours and undertook almost 40 CAS missions. The penultimate leg of the squadron's journey home was completed aboard HMS Albion from Santander due to air travel disruption after

2139-669: The United States Air Force , Navy , Marine Corps and the Royal Australian Air Force . No. IX (B) Squadron's last deployment to Afghanistan was in June 2014 when they again took over from No. II (AC) Squadron before being replaced by No. 31 Squadron in September – the last RAF Tornados to be deployed. To celebrate 100 years of No. IX (B) Squadron, Tornado GR.4 ZA356 was painted in a special commemorative scheme to mark

2232-598: The Vickers Vimy . Less than a year later, the squadron re-equipped with the Vickers Virginia heavy bomber, occasionally supplemented by Vickers Victoria transports, which it retained until this was replaced by the Handley Page Heyford in 1936. The squadron badge was approved by King Edward VIII in 1936, one of the few to be introduced during his short reign. The badge reflects the squadron's development as

2325-614: The battle honour 'Afghanistan 2001–2014' (without the right to emblazon) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II due to their participation in Operation Herrick. To mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day on 8 May 2020, a pair of No. IX (B) Squadron Typhoons performed a flypast over Edinburgh . On 12 May 2020, the squadron participated in Exercise Point Blank 20-2 alongside Typhoon FGR4s from RAF Coningsby and Lossiemouth, F-35B Lightnings from RAF Marham, as well as F-15C Eagles of

2418-502: The bombing of a West Berlin discotheque . Although the bombing operations were staged out of the UK, Akrotiri was employed in the role of an alternate in case of emergency, and was used as such by at least one aircraft. This led to retaliatory action against the British base. In July 2006, RAF Akrotiri played a major role as a transit point for personnel evacuations out of Lebanon during the 2006 Lebanon War (see international reactions to

2511-567: The missile strikes against Syria in response to the Syrian government's suspected chemical attack in Douma . On 10 July 2018, nine Tornado GR.4s of No. IX (B) Squadron and No. 31 Squadron participated in a flypast over London to celebrate the Royal Air Force's 100th anniversary. On 6 November 2018, the RAF unveiled Tornado GR.4 ZG775 in a special commemorative No. IX (B) Squadron scheme to celebrate

2604-565: The 1,300 missions conducted by RAF Tornado GR.4s and General Atomics MQ-9 Reapers during the first year of action against Daesh. On 8 December 2014, squadron members both past and present held a service at Saint-Omer to mark 100 years since No. 9 Squadron was first formed. After Parliament approved strikes in Syria on 2 December 2015, No. IX (B) Squadron Tornado GR.4s carried attacks the same day on Daesh owned oil fields in al-Omar, Syria. On 14 April 2018, No. IX (B) Squadron aircrew participated in

2697-694: The 2006 Lebanon War and Joint Task Force Lebanon ). Akrotiri was the location of the main transmitter of the well known numbers station , the Lincolnshire Poacher , although transmissions ceased in 2008. In March 2011, the station was used as a staging base for support aircraft involved in Operation Ellamy , the UK's contribution to the NATO -led military intervention in Libya. Tanker support and logistical units were based here to support aerial operations over

2790-653: The 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption . In March 2011, No. IX(B) Squadron was the first RAF Tornado squadron to participate in Operation Ellamy . The squadron performed the second-longest ranged attack sorties in the history of the RAF and the first to be launched from the UK mainland since the Second World War, launching Storm Shadow strikes from the squadron's home base at RAF Marham and hitting targets deep inside Libya. The squadron then deployed forward to continue operations from Gioia del Colle in Southern Italy. After

2883-681: The B.E.2c. It flew reconnaissance and artillery spotting missions during the Battle of the Somme in 1916, assisting XIII Corps on the first day. It later operated during the Second Battle of Arras in 1917. It re-equipped with Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8s in May 1917, using them for artillery spotting and contact patrols during the Battle of Passchendaele , during which it suffered 57 casualties, and carrying out short range tactical bombing operations in response to

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2976-562: The Middle East, it was used for the reception of American casualties after the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing . Between April 1983 and September 1984, RAF Boeing Chinook helicopters deployed to Akrotiri in support of British United Nations forces in Lebanon ( UNIFIL ). In the mid-1980s, the US launched retaliatory attacks against Libya after the country's leader, Muammar al-Gaddafi , was implicated in

3069-812: The Patriot battery said the "army Patriots were mistakenly identifying friendly aircraft as enemy tactical ballistic missiles." While all Tornado GR.4s were capable of carrying the ALARM anti-radiation missile , Nos. IX (B) and 31 Squadrons specialised in the role, in which they were known as "Pathfinder" squadrons. From 2004 to 2010, No. 9 Squadron annually deployed in support of Op TELIC. No. IX (B) Squadron saw its first tour of duty on Operation Herrick at Kandahar Airfield , Afghanistan in early January 2010, taking over from No. 31 Squadron. The squadron's Tornado GR.4s flew both close air support (CAS) missions for ground forces as well as flying multiple reconnaissance missions using

3162-668: The Suez Crisis, the main emphasis of life on the airfield shifted to helping fight the EOKA revolt, and training missions. After the withdrawal from both Egypt and Iraq , and Suez Crisis, it was clear that a command centred on Cyprus could not control units stationed in the Arabian Peninsula , of which there were still many. Consequently, the Middle East Command was split; with that east of Suez being controlled from Aden , Yemen, and

3255-523: 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 . No. 9 Squadron RAF Number 9 Squadron (otherwise known as No. IX (Bomber) Squadron or No. IX (B) Squadron )

3348-481: 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

3441-559: The aftermath of Op GRANBY, no-fly zones were set up over Iraq: Op WARDEN beginning in 1991 in the North and Op JURAL in the South in 1992. No. IX (B) Squadron along with other RAF Brüggen-based squadrons, Nos. 14 , 17 and 31 , each conducted four month long tours of duty as part of Operation Jural. Returning home to RAF Brüggen after Operation Granby, No. IX (B) Squadron continued to maintain their nuclear delivery role until 1994. On 11 May 1998,

3534-528: The aircraft however Sqn. Ldr. M. Stephens failed to eject and was lost in the crash. During their time at RAF Honington, the squadron featured in the 1985 RAF recruitment film Tornado , produced by the Central Office of Information . The film features a training exercise in which Tornado crews prepare and execute a strike on a coastal surface-to-air missile site. On 1 October 1986, No. IX (B) Squadron moved to RAF Brüggen as part of RAF Germany , becoming

3627-440: 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,

3720-418: 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

3813-514: The base health clinic are sent to the private Ygia Polyclinic in Limassol . In August 2014, six RAF Panavia Tornado fighter-bombers were deployed to Akrotiri to carry out reconnaissance missions over Iraq , following the rise of Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria. On 26 September 2014, Members of Parliament voted in favour of the RAF carrying out air strikes on ISIS in Iraq, and on 27 September

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3906-552: The base to support Israel in its military actions in Gaza and Lebanon. In 2007, a large over-the-horizon radar antenna was erected within the base. Several demonstrations and protests took place, with the most memorable incident being the act of MP (MEP since 2004) Marios Matsakis chaining himself to the antenna. Matsakis stated "It is outrageous that in the 21st century there are Cypriot villages living under British military rule, neither under their own government's jurisdiction nor under

3999-463: The battleship ' Tirpitz '. He has shown great determination and the keenest enthusiasm to operate and bomb his target in spite of all the hazards of enemy opposition and bad weather. In the first attack he made the long and arduous journey to the Russian base, and in the actual attack made every effort to bomb the target, despite cloud and smoke-screen. In the second attack he made the same endeavours to bomb

4092-491: 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

4185-655: The command of Major Hugh Dowding (later commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain ) as a radio-training squadron, flying the Farman MF.7 , Blériot XI and Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2s . The Bats moved to Dover on 23 July, re-equipping with the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.8a , Avro 504 and a single Martinsyde S.1 , before returning to Saint-Omer on 12 December as an army co-operation squadron. Moving to Bertangles on 24 December, No. 9 Squadron commenced bombing missions on 17 January 1916 with

4278-617: The country. In August 2013, six RAF Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft were deployed to Akrotiri to defend the base, "to ensure the protection of UK interests and the defence of our sovereign base areas at a time of heightened tension in the wider region". Earlier, two RAF TriStar aerial refuelling aircraft and a Sentry AEW1 had been deployed to Akrotiri. The station hosted the main hospital for British Forces Cyprus , The Princess Mary's Hospital (TPMH), located on Cape Zevgari . This closed in October 2012, and cases too serious to be dealt with at

4371-511: The crew of an Avro Lancaster on her 102nd operation with the squadron. No. IX Squadron fought with RAF Bomber Command in Europe all the way through the Second World War, took part in all the major raids and big battles, pioneered and proved new tactics and equipment, produced several of the leading figures in The Great Escape , such as Les 'Cookie' Long , as well as Colditz inmates – including

4464-535: The early days of the Cold War . However, during that year, Turkish forces invaded Cyprus in connection with a Greek-sponsored coup. The UK then evacuated most of the RAF from Akrotiri as the CENTO treaty had degenerated to the point of uselessness. The two Vulcan squadrons left for UK stations in 1975. What was left at the airfield was the flying unit that is permanently assigned to the station to this day; No. 84 Squadron ,

4557-874: 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

4650-454: The first Tornado GR.4 was delivered to No. IX (B) Squadron at RAF Brüggen. The 1998 Strategic Defence Review decided that in 2001 No. 9 Squadron, along with No. 31 Squadron, would relocate from RAF Brüggen to RAF Marham , Norfolk . No. IX (B) Squadron participated in the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia to liberate Kosovo as part of Operation Engadine (called Operation Allied Force by NATO ). Initial sorties were flown from RAF Brüggen but

4743-467: The first appearing in squadron markings on 13 February. No. IX (B) Squadron re-equipped as an aggressor and air defence squadron operating Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 1 at 0931hrs GMT on 1 April 2019, thereby continuing in unbroken service upon Tornado's retirement. The squadron marked its change of aircraft, role and location with a further parade on 2 May 2019, having formally reformed on 1 April. On 24 March 2020, No. IX (B) Squadron were awarded

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4836-508: The first outside of the UK, from a detachment of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) HQ Wireless Flight. Known as No. 9 (Wireless) Squadron, it was tasked with developing the use of radio for reconnaissance missions through artillery spotting. This lasted until 22 March 1915 when the squadron was disbanded and had its equipment dispersed amongst Nos. II , V , 6 and 16 Squadron . The squadron reformed at Brooklands on 1 April 1915 under

4929-557: 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

5022-645: The first two Tornado jets took off from Akrotiri loaded with laser-guided bombs and missiles. On 30 September 2014, two British Tornados successfully intercepted and attacked ISIS targets of a heavily armed truck, at the request of Iraqi Kurdish fighters . The station was used to support the 2018 missile strikes against Syria . In June 2019, the station launched the RAF's first F-35 Lightning II operational sortie. Six aircraft were deployed to take part in operations against Islamic State. Flight logs indicated that UK military transport aircraft made numerous flights from Akrotiri to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport during

5115-425: 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

5208-545: 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

5301-552: The fourth Tornado squadron to be based there. In the build up to the First Gulf War in 1990, personnel of No. IX (B) Squadron were deployed to Tabuk Air Base and Dhahran Airfield in Saudi Arabia as well as Muharraq Airfield in Bahrain . As part of Operation Granby , crews from these bases flew their first sorties on 17 January 1991 to gain air superiority over Iraqi airspace . Initial bombing raids were focused on Iraqi air bases with Tornado GR.1s delivering unguided 1000lb bombs and JP233 to knock out runways. On 20 January,

5394-581: The impending disbandment of the Tornado GR Force. Although the parade flypast was Tornado's last planned sortie in RAF service, both squadrons maintained readiness for operations until the type's out-of-service date of 31 March 2019. The two squadron commanders simultaneously lowered their pennants at 0931hrs GMT on the following day, making No. IX(B) the world's first and the RAF's joint-last operational Tornado squadron. Four Typhoon FGR4s ( ZJ913 , ZJ921 , ZJ924 and ZJ935 ) were assigned to No. IX (B) Squadron (Designate) at RAF Lossiemouth in February 2019,

5487-430: 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

5580-565: The island, RAF Nicosia . In late 1956, relations between the United Kingdom and Egypt had reached a crisis. The Suez Crisis saw a further increase in the strength of RAF forces in Cyprus. Akrotiri was mainly an airfield for fighter , photo reconnaissance , and ground attack aircraft . Its regular squadrons of Gloster Meteor night fighters, English Electric Canberra photo reconnaissance aircraft, and de Havilland Venom ground attack machines were reinforced by further Canberras which were ready for action if Egypt attacked Israel . After

5673-421: The legendary 'Medium Sized Man' Flight Lieutenant Dominic Bruce OBE MC AFM originator of the famous 'tea chest' escape. They became one of the two specialised squadrons attacking precision targets with the Tallboy bomb, and led the final main force raid, on Berchtesgaden , 25 April 1945. The battleship Tirpitz had been moved into a fjord in Northern Norway where she threatened the Arctic convoys and

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5766-411: The low-level penetration role before disbanding in April 1982. No. IX (B) Squadron began to form at RAF Honington in Suffolk in early 1982 under Wing Commander P. J. Gooding, with the squadron receiving its first Panavia Tornado GR.1 ZA586 on 6 January. The first IX (B) Squadron Tornado GR.1 sortie was made from RAF Honington on 6 April. The squadron was officially reformed on 1 June thus becoming

5859-419: The modern Vickers Wellington monoplane , when their first Wellington arrived at RAF Stradishall – reaching full strength by April. The Second World War began with the unit one of the few equipped with modern aircraft, the Vickers Wellington bomber, flying out of RAF Honington ; the Wellington later gave way to the Avro Lancaster in September 1942 upon the squadron's move to RAF Waddington , with which

5952-426: The name OLIVE HARVEST continues. Two U-2s are stationed at RAF Akrotiri, and they are still monitoring the ceasefire agreement between the Egypt and Israel, although the present operations in the US Central Command area requires further missions. U-2s also transit through RAF Akrotiri either on going into the Central Command theatre, or returning to Beale AFB , California. Due to the station's relative proximity to

6045-612: 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

6138-447: The occasion. After an emergency meeting at the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms on 11 August 2014, it was decided to deploy RAF Tornado GR.4s from RAF Marham to RAF Akrotiri to help support aid efforts to refugees in the Iraqi Sinjar Mountains who were under attack by Daesh . On 26 September, Parliament voted in favour of airstrikes against IS, with the first strikes occurring on the 30 September. No. IX(B) Squadron contributed to

6231-416: 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

6324-528: The only RAF squadrons awarded the right to emblazon the battle honour Libya 2011 on their squadron standards. No. IX (B) Squadron returned to Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan as part of Operation HERRICK in December 2012, taking over from No. II (AC) Squadron. No. IX (B) Squadron were deployed for four months before returning to RAF Marham on 18 March 2013. The squadron participated in Exercise Red Flag 14-1 at Nellis Air Force Base , U.S.A., between 27 January to 14 February 2014, operating alongside and against

6417-421: The primary target and one bombing a local bridge. With the end of the war in Europe , No. IX Squadron was assigned to the 'Tiger Force' , which was composed of multiple Bomber Command squadrons, with the intention of striking the Japanese Empire . However, due to the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 the war was brought to an end before this could be carried out, although No. IX Squadron

6510-405: The protection of the EU treaties". In 2010, U-2s from the United States Air Force 's 9th Reconnaissance Wing were used in Operation Cedar Sweep to fly surveillance over Lebanon, relaying information about Hezbollah militants to Lebanese authorities, and in Operation Highland Warrior to fly surveillance over Turkey and northern Iraq to relay information to Turkish authorities. These flights were

6603-426: The remainder being renamed the Near East Command , controlled from Cyprus. From 1957 to 1969, four squadrons operating the Canberra ( No. 6 Squadron , No. 32 Squadron , No. 73 Squadron , and No. 249 Squadron ) provided first a conventional and then from November 1961, a nuclear striking capability as part of the Baghdad Pact , later the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO). Akrotiri, along with Nicosia , assumed

6696-501: 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

6789-486: The ship, and on the third occasion, unhampered by weather, launched his attack successfully. F/O Tweddle has always displayed courage and cheerful enthusiasm which has been of utmost value to his crew, whilst his captaincy and airmanship have consistently been of the highest order. In addition, F/O Tweddle undertook the extra hazard of wind finding for the Squadron, a task he accomplished most successfully, thereby contributing to

6882-677: The squadron flew the Avro Vulcan B.2 as part of the V-Force . In June 1982, it became the first front-line squadron in the world to operate the Panavia Tornado GR.1. In May 1998, No. IX (B) Squadron received the RAF's first Tornado GR.4, which it operated until reequipping with the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR.4 at its present home base of RAF Lossiemouth on 1 April 2019. No. 9 Squadron was formed on 8 December 1914 at Saint-Omer in France,

6975-647: The squadron later deployed to Solenzara Air Base , Corsica, along with No. 31 Squadron. In 1999, No. IX (B) Squadron became the first operational Tornado GR.4 squadron. Under the command of Wing Commander Derek Watson, the squadron formed a part of the RAF's contribution to the Second Gulf War ( Operation Telic ) after being deployed in February 2003. Nos. II (AC), IX (B), XIII , 31 and 617 Squadrons contributed to Tornado GR.4 Wing 1 based at Ali Al Salem Air Base , Kuwait . No. IX (B) Squadron suffered its only loss of

7068-447: The squadron lost Tornado GR.1 ZD893 near Tabuk when its control column failed to respond properly shortly after take off. After jettisoning their external stores, the crew attempted two landings to no avail forcing the crew to eject. Over the course of the campaign, No. IX (B) Squadron flew 200 sorties dropping 300 1000lb bombs. The squadron suffered no loses in combat throughout the conflict, only losing ZD893 outside of combat. In

7161-467: The squadron's 37 years of Tornado operations, the first of three Tornado retirement schemes to be made public. On 4 and 5 February 2019, the eight Tornado GR.4s of No. IX (B) Squadron and No. 31 Squadron that had been deployed to RAF Akrotiri returned home to RAF Marham ahead of the Tornado's retirement on 31 March 2019. Nos. IX (B) and 31 Squadrons held a joint parade at RAF Marham on 14 March 2019 to mark

7254-497: 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

7347-547: The success of the operations even further." Due to the sinking of Tirpitz having been attributed to No. IX (B) Squadron, an intense rivalry developed between No. 617 (a.k.a. the Junior Squadron) and No. IX (B) Squadron after the sinking of the warship. The Tirpitz Bulkhead that was presented to Bomber Command by the Royal Norwegian Air Force , in commemoration of friendship and co-operation during World War II

7440-522: The topic of acrimonious leaked diplomatic cables between British officials and the American embassy, with David Miliband saying that "policymakers needed to get control of the military". The British were concerned that the flights over Lebanon were authorised by the Lebanese Ministry of Defence , rather than the entire cabinet, and that the intelligence so gained could lead to the UK being complicit in

7533-553: 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

7626-458: The unit would complete its most famous sorties. On 4 September 1939, the squadron’s Wellington aircraft and crews were the first to hit the enemy, the first to get into a dogfight, possibly the first to shoot down an enemy aircraft, the first to be shot down by one and, towards the end of the war, the first to hit the German battleship Tirpitz with the Tallboy 12,000-pound bomb , an achievement by

7719-667: The unlawful torture of detainees. After warnings that these issues "could jeopardise future use of British territory", John Rood , a senior Bush administration official, and Mariot Leslie , the Foreign Office's director general for defence and intelligence, became involved. Leslie said that the U.S. was not actually expected to check on detained terrorists, but that future spy missions would require full written applications. Units based at RAF Akrotiri. No. 2 Group (Air Combat Support) RAF No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group RAF IATA airport code The assignment of these codes

7812-529: 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

7905-508: The war on 22 March 2003 when one of their aircraft was engaged by a Patriot battery in Kuwait while returning from a mission. The pilot, Flt. Lt. Kevin Barry Main, and navigator, Flt. Lt. David Rhys Williams, were both killed. Immediately after the incident it was claimed that the RAF crew had failed to switch on their IFF beacon. However a US journalist embedded with the U.S. Army unit operating

7998-587: The world's first operational Tornado squadron. No. 9 Squadron was again equipped with WE.177 nuclear laydown bombs, handed down from the Vulcan force. The squadron was officially declared combat ready to SACEUR in January 1983. No. IX (B) Squadron suffered the RAF's first Tornado loss on 27 September 1983, when Tornado GR.1 ZA586 suffered complete electrical failure causing the pilot Sqn. Ldr. M. Stephens to order ejection. The navigator, Flt. Lt. N. Nickles, safely ejected from

8091-678: Was deployed to India to carry out aerial survey work until April 1946. After the War, the Lancasters were replaced by Avro Lincolns until 1952, when the squadron re-equipped with English Electric Canberra B.2 jet-bombers. These aircraft were used during three months of operations in Malaya in 1956 and during the Suez Crisis . No. IX (Bomber) Squadron was disbanded on 13 July 1961. Reforming on 1 March 1962 at RAF Coningsby , No. IX (B) Squadron converted to

8184-594: Was no longer possible to maintain RAF units at Nicosia due to pressures of space, and Akrotiri became the only RAF flying station left on the island. In August 1970, detachment 'G' of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) arrived at the airfield with Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft to monitor the Egypt / Israel Suez Canal fighting and cease-fire. Permanent monitoring of the Middle East Ceasefire

8277-585: Was of particular interest with both squadrons "owning" the bulkhead at various times until 2002 when the bulkhead was presented to the Bomber Command Museum. On 25 April 1945, No. IX Squadron flew their last operational mission of the war when they, along with No. 617 Squadron, attacked Obersalzberg – targeting the Berghof , Eagle's Nest (residences of Adolf Hitler ) and the local SS barracks. 17 Lancasters of No. IX Squadron participated, with 11 bombing

8370-612: Was sent to Tromsø to be used as a floating battery. This fjord was in range of bombers operating from Scotland. There in October from a base in Scotland she was attacked again. Finally on 12 November 1944, the two squadrons attacked Tirpitz . The first bombs missed their target, but following aircraft scored three direct hits in quick succession causing the ship to capsize. All three RAF attacks on Tirpitz were led by Wing Commander J. B. "Willy" Tait, who had succeeded Cheshire as CO of No. 617 Squadron in July 1944. Both squadrons claim that it

8463-501: Was their bombs that actually sank Tirpitz , however it was the Tallboy bomb dropped from a No. 9 Sqn Lancaster WS-Y ( LM220 ) piloted by Flying Officer Dougie Tweddle to which the sinking of the warship is attributed. F/O Tweddle was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his part in the operations against Tirpitz . F/O Tweddle's DFC citation reads as follows, "This officer has taken part in all three attacks on

8556-467: Was too far north to be attacked by air from the UK. She had already been damaged by a Royal Navy midget submarine attack and a second attack from carrier born aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm . But both attacks had failed to sink her. The task was given to No. 9 and No. 617 Squadrons who, operating from a base in Russia , attacked Tirpitz with Tallboy bombs which damaged her so extensively that she

8649-418: Was undertaken by the 100th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing after the 1973 Yom Kippur War , known as Operation 'OLIVE HARVEST'. Up until 1974, RAF Akrotiri had a balanced force of aircraft assigned to it, including No. 9 Squadron and No. 35 Squadron , both flying Avro Vulcan strategic bombers. The Vulcans provided a bomber force for CENTO, one of the three main anti-Communist mutual defence pacts signed in

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