What is ICAO?

[David Vega]

ICAO is an abbreviation for the International Civil Aviation Organization. From wikipedia:

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a major agency of the United Nations, codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. Its headquarters are located in the Quartier International of Montreal, Canada.

The ICAO should not be confused with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade organization for airlines also headquartered in Montreal...

Both ICAO and IATA have defined a standard naming convention for airports, and ICAO has for airplane types. For example, in Europe, all airport ICAO codes begin with the letter E, such as EBBR for Brussels. The equivalent IATA code is BRU. This IATA code is what you most likely will see on a luggage tag.

When it comes to airplane designations, there is an ICAO code for each of the ones you and I fly for SunAir Express. Here's the list:

• B190
  CRJ2
  B737
  B767
  B747
  B777

Please ensure you use the right ICAO code when sending your flight reports. If you want to verify or see other ICAO codes for other airplane types, go to http://www.icao.int/anb/ais/8643/index.cfm .

David Vega
SAX702

[orac]

Good information, but...

...in Europe, all airport ICAO codes begin with the letter E...

I think France, Italy, Spain, etc, would be amused to find they aren't in Europe. (Their airport ICAO codes begin with the letter L.)

I also believe IATA has standardized 3-digit codes for airplane types, too. (737, 73S, 733, 734, etc.) I'll try to find a link.

Edit: found this is no time. Can't vouch for it's accuracy, but it all looks to be in order. http://www.avcodes.co.uk/
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Neil