IATA vs ICAO Codes: Airlines and Airports
IATA codes are the short codes used by the travel industry (PK for PIA, KHI for Karachi). ICAO codes are the longer codes used by pilots and air traffic control (PIA for PIA, OPKC for Karachi’s airport). Each code has its own purpose.
Airlines
Each airline has an IATA code (2 characters) and an ICAO code (3 letters):
- Pakistan International Airlines: PK (IATA), PIA (ICAO)
- Airblue: PA, ABQ
- Fly Jinnah: 9P, FJL
- AirSial: PF, SIF
- Emirates: EK, UAE
Passengers see the IATA code in flight numbers (PK 300). Air traffic control and radar use the ICAO code (PIA300).
Airports
- IATA: three letters, on tickets and bag tags. Examples: KHI, LHE, ISB.
- ICAO: four letters, used in flight plans and weather reports. Pakistani airports begin with OP: OPKC (Karachi), OPLA (Lahore), OPIS (Islamabad).
Why two systems
IATA codes were created for the airline business; ICAO codes for air navigation. The two groups assigned codes independently, and they sometimes do not match.
Where you will see them
- Tickets and boarding passes: IATA.
- Weather (METAR and TAF) and flight trackers: ICAO.
- On this site: both are shown on airport and airline pages. See the list of Pakistan airport codes.
See also the glossary: IATA code and ICAO code.
General information only, not legal or safety advice. Details change; check with your airline and the relevant authority. See our editorial policy.