Flyhigh69 From United States, joined Feb 2004, 68 posts, RR: 0 Posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 5 days 19 hours ago) and read 4725 times:
Hi !
I always wondered why almost all the canadian airportcodes start with a Y or even YY which makes no sense to the city name. I heared at one time that this was inherited from the canadian railroad system or something like this. Can anybody confirm this ?
Olympus69 From Canada, joined Jun 2002, 1737 posts, RR: 17 Reply 3, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 5 days 19 hours ago) and read 4574 times:
Y = ICAO Code For Canada
I don't think so. I believe C is the ICAO code for Canada - though I can never remember whether the ICAO code or the IATA code is the 4-letter one.
I think Canada uses Y (sometimes Z) for the more important airports to avoid duplication with US airports as much as possible. Unlike, for example the UK, which has totally different 3 and 4 letter codes such as LHR and EGLL for Heathrow, Canada and the USA just add a C or a K in front of the 3-letter code.
FLYACYYZ From Canada, joined Jan 2004, 1914 posts, RR: 13 Reply 5, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 4477 times:
If I'm not mistaken, it has something to do with radio codes that were used during war times, that were just carried over to designate airports and their respective cities.
Some codes parallel the city such as YVR/Vancouver, while YUL/Montreal & YYZ/Toronto bear little resemblance. However for cities with dual airport designates YMQ (for Montreal, Quebec) & YTO (Toronto) can be utilized for city displays in airline CRS systems.
This is just a sanitized explanation, I'm sure somebody out there has more specific historical info.
Ha763 From United States, joined Jan 2003, 2792 posts, RR: 8 Reply 7, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 4424 times:
Actually, the way to decode ICAO airport codes is (with the exception of US mainland airports):
1st letter-continent/region
2nd letter-country (sub-region for places like Hawaii/Alaska/Guam)
3rd/4th letter-airport
C is the continent/region code for Canada
Y is the country code for Canada
Last two letters for the airport
To get the IATA airport code for Canadian airports, minus the C.
Olympus69 From Canada, joined Jun 2002, 1737 posts, RR: 17 Reply 8, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 4368 times:
There seem to be exceptions to that system for Canada. For example there is a CYML in BC and a CZML in Quebec. Y and Z second letters can both be found right across the country.
CanadianNorth From Canada, joined Aug 2002, 3198 posts, RR: 15 Reply 9, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 4300 times:
The story I heard was most airports started out as 2 letter codes (ex. YZ for Toronto, VR for Vancouver, etc. etc.) and when it came time to make them 3 letter codes to make it easy on many airports they just threw on a Y (ex. YZ=YYZ etc. etc.). Whichever one uses the 4 letter system uses pretty much the same codes plus a C at the begining.
CanadianNorth
Passenger at 4A changed out, function checks serviceable.
NorthStarDC4M From Canada, joined Apr 2000, 2138 posts, RR: 41 Reply 10, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 4221 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW CHAT OPERATOR
The reason has to do with radio identifiers ive always read. Canada was assigned the Cxxx series for its radio transmitters (like the US got the Kxxx and later Wxxx). Canada decided to subdivide the system further (CJ, CK, CL and CM for example were assigned to Civilian Radio stations, CH and CI to TV stations, CW to weather stations, CU for NDBs though those are normally reffered to by only their last 2 letters, etc). Aeronautical navaids were assigned CX, CY and CZ. Someone decided to include airports in that, so CY was designated for Airports, though other navaids were still assigned to the CY sequence as well. However somewhere around 1960 the system was changed, so that CX and CZ became airport sequences as well. So some later airports (Like Bathurst NB, CZBF) picked up CZ or CX designators.
Of course, alot of smaller GA airports come under a different alpha-numeric system: like Castor AB - CER2. This system is completly unrelated otheptioan to avoid identical codes.
Don From Japan, joined Jun 2003, 211 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 4039 times:
As far as I know, US and canada are the only countries in the world where you can add a letter (K for US mainland, P for Alaska, Hawaii and Guam etc and C for Canada) to the IATA code to make it an ICAO code.
LAX - KLAX, ANC - PANC, YYZ - CYYZ
Nonrvsmdmf From United States, joined Dec 2003, 186 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 3987 times:
ICAO codes
First letter is for the region of the world
Second letter is for the fir (flight information region) boundry
and or country.
Third and fourth as far as I know just assigned to designate
airport with 4 letters.
EINN
E= Europe
I= Ireland
LFPB
L=Lower Europe
F=France
HKJK
H=Northeast Africa
K=Kenya
I did not forget...I just misplaced the thought...
InnocuousFox From United States, joined Dec 2003, 2576 posts, RR: 24 Reply 13, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 3853 times:
It was the US' idea so Canada always comes behind the US in alphabetical lists of 3-letter codes.
Dave Mark - Intrinsic Algorithm - Reducing the world to mathematical equations!
YOW From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 16, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 4 days 23 hours ago) and read 3462 times:
NorthStarDC4M has this one pretty much correct. Canadian airports with Navaids were given the Y.. designator. There are lots of small airports across the country with scheduled service whose airport does not commence with Y.
Some examples:
ZBF: Bathurst, NB
AKV: Akulivik, QB
XGR: Kangiksualujjuaq, QB (a.k.a George River)
etc...
SupraZachAir From Norway, joined Feb 2004, 585 posts, RR: 1 Reply 17, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 4 days 23 hours ago) and read 3458 times:
As far as I know, US and canada are the only countries in the world where you can add a letter (K for US mainland, P for Alaska, Hawaii and Guam etc and C for Canada) to the IATA code to make it an ICAO code.
LAX - KLAX, ANC - PANC, YYZ - CYYZ
Not entirely true. Alaska and Hawaii codes don't necessarily remain the same. OGG~>PHOG, BET~>PABE, FAI~>PAFA...
Olympus69 From Canada, joined Jun 2002, 1737 posts, RR: 17 Reply 18, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 3337 times:
AKV: Akulivik, QB
XGR: Kangiksualujjuaq, QB (a.k.a George River)
Also, WLT for CFB Alert, NU.
YOW,
The Canada Flight Supplement disagrees with you on those designations. It shows CYKO for Akulivik, CYLU for Kangiksualujjuaq, and CYLT for Alert. All Airports with an ICAO designation have either CYxx or CZxx.
Whiteguy From Canada, joined Nov 2003, 264 posts, RR: 0 Reply 19, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 3276 times:
Here's an explanation:
Originally in the 1930's, Canada used two letters for indentification of a weather reporting station. Additionally, preceding the two-letter code, was placed a Y (meaning "yes") where the reporting station was co-located with an airport, a W (meaning "without") where the reporting station was not co-located with an airport, and a U where the reporting station was co-located with an NDB. An X was used if the last two letters of the code had already been taken by another Canadian ident, and a Z was used if the locator could be confused with a US three letter ident.
Yow From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 20, posted (5 years 8 months 3 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 3164 times:
John, I guess AKV and XGR are the 3-letter IATA codes only. I work for 7F and our sister company, 3H flies to AKV and XGR, so the ICAO does things differently for non-Y or Z IATA code airports. And oops, I misspelled Kangiqsualujjuaq in my first post.
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From United States, joined Feb 2004, 68 posts, 
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- Canada has 387 airports with ICAO designations - 345 CY** and 42 CZ**.
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From Norway, joined Feb 2004, 585 posts, 
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