FAA Codes

FAA Codes identifies aviation-related inside the United States. The FAA is the office of the American aviation authorities and falls under the US Department of Transportation. They are competent to regulate everything that has to do with civil aviation in America.

FAA codes, what does it mean?

An FAA code is a three-to-five character alphanumeric code which identifies aviation-related facilities inside the United States.

3-character FAA codes

Almost all major airports in the USA uses a 3-letter FAA code like, for example, ATL for Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport. There are also airfields with a mix of three alphanumeric characters. If an airfield has a mix of three alphanumeric characters, it will always be a minor airport like 8N2 for Skydive Chicago Airport.

4-character FAA codes

Four-character FAA codes are assigned to private airports, such as 1CA9 for Los Angeles County Fire Department Heliport.

5-character FAA codes

FAA codes which contain five characters are identifiers for the United States and its jurisdictions.

What does the abbreviation FAA stand for?

The FAA is an abbreviation for Federal Aviation Administration. FAA codes are often assigned to small public or private airports.

What does the FAA do?

The FAA is the governing body for aviation in the United States. FAA codes are more often than not the same as IATA codes, minus the first letter (usually K), although there are some cases where IATA and FAA codes all mean different airports.

 

The mission of the FAA

The mission of the FAA is to provide the safest and most efficient aviation system in the world. Because the aviation sector is highly susceptible to change, it is an ongoing process. The operational branch of the FAA, the ATO, is responsible for achieving the mission.

ATO

The Air Traffic Organization (ATO) is responsible for delivering safe and efficient air navigation services to all of the United States, large parts of the Atlantic and Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico. These areas cover more than 17 per cent of the airspace in the world. The total surface area of the airspace is 29.4 square miles.

The American air traffic system is currently experiencing the safest period in its history due to the robust safety culture of the ATO. The ATO can identify risks before there is a safety problem. This is due to the implementation of its proactive safety management system.
 

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For more information about other airport codes, please visit our pages about IATA codes and ICAO codes.