Newsletter
ES
Sign in

Aviation glossary

IATA airline designator

Also: IATA airline code, two-letter airline code, airline code

Registration and rules

Two-character designator that IATA assigns to an airline and that appears in its flight numbers, tickets and reservations, such as BA for British Airways.

What it is

The designator is made up of two letters, or a letter and a digit: BA is British Airways, IB Iberia, AV Avianca, LH Lufthansa, U2 easyJet and 6E IndiGo. It is the code passengers see on tickets, boarding passes and departure boards, because it forms part of the flight number, which combines the designator with a number of up to four digits.

Since two characters allow relatively few combinations, IATA reuses the codes of defunct airlines and in some cases assigns the same code to two small carriers in different regions. Operations and air traffic control rely on a separate system, the three-letter ICAO designator, which does not allow duplicates. An airline may hold either code or both.

On Vuelopedia

An airline page on Vuelopedia shows its IATA and ICAO codes.

Iberia Avianca Easyjet

Related terms

ICAO airline designatorThree-letter designator that ICAO assigns to an aircraft operator for use in flight plans and air traffic control, such as BAW for British Airways. Flight numberCombination of an airline code and a number of up to four digits that identifies a particular air service in timetables, tickets and airports. IATATrade association representing a large share of the world's airlines, which sets common commercial and operational standards for air transport. Call signName by which an aircraft is identified in radio communications with air traffic control, such as Speedbird or Lufthansa followed by the flight number. CodeshareAgreement under which an airline sells seats, under its own code and flight number, on a flight operated by another carrier.
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 airline designator. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/iata-airline-designator

MLA

“IATA airline designator.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/iata-airline-designator. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

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

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) IATA airline designator. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/iata-airline-designator (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_iata_airline_designator,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{IATA airline designator}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/iata-airline-designator},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/iata-airline-designator}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/iata-airline-designator |title=IATA airline designator |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |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