Newsletter
ES
Sign in

Aviation glossary

IATA

International Air Transport Association · Also: International Air Transport Association

Registration and rules

Trade association representing a large share of the world's airlines, which sets common commercial and operational standards for air transport.

What it is

IATA was founded in Havana in 1945 and has its main headquarters in Montreal. Its more than 300 member airlines carry most of the world's international air traffic. Unlike ICAO, it is an association of companies rather than governments, and its standards are industry agreements, not law.

Much of what passengers see bears its mark: two-character airline codes (BA, AV, LH), three-letter airport codes (LHR, BOG, MEX), the format of e-tickets and boarding passes, and baggage tags. IATA also runs settlement systems between airlines and travel agents, publishes the Dangerous Goods Regulations and compiles industry statistics.

Related terms

ICAOSpecialised agency of the United Nations that sets the standards and recommended practices for international civil aviation. IATA airline designatorTwo-character designator that IATA assigns to an airline and that appears in its flight numbers, tickets and reservations, such as BA for British Airways. IATA airport codeThree-letter code that IATA assigns to an airport for use on tickets, timetables and baggage tags, such as LHR for London Heathrow. AirlineCompany that carries passengers, cargo or mail by air for payment, holding an air operator certificate issued by its national aviation authority. SlotPermission to land or take off at a congested airport on a given date and time, or a departure time allocated to manage the flow of air traffic.
Whole glossary

Cite

To cite this page in academic work, an article or Wikipedia, choose the style and copy the reference. The access date is today.

This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). IATA. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/iata

MLA

“IATA.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/iata. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “IATA.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/iata.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) IATA. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/iata (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_iata,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{IATA}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/iata},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/iata}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-18},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-18}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/iata |title=IATA |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-18 |language=en}}

Explore the encyclopedia

Homethe record of every aircraftAirlinesdocumented fleetsModelsfrom the Airbus A220 to the Boeing 747Compareup to three aircraft, side by sideManufacturerswho builds the aircraft, and their enginesIVCA Rankingair quality, from 0 to 100Newsthe latest from the recordsOn this dayaviation, day by dayVideosone aviation story a day, on videoAirportsthe world's leading onesAccidentswhat every accident changedTimelinethe whole century, 1903 to todayPeoplewho made all of this possibleOn Screenwhen the airliner was the plotTriviaa daily aviation challengeMemoriesa name in an aircraft's historyPresspress releases and Vuelopedia in the mediaYour profilesign in or create your accountAboutwhat Vuelopedia is and who makes it