Airport code lookup for IATA and ICAO codes
Every boarding pass, baggage tag and flight-tracking site uses the three-letter IATA airport code (DEL, BOM, LHR, JFK), while pilots, controllers and weather reports use the four-letter ICAO code (VIDP, VABB, EGLL, KJFK). This airport code lookup searches a built-in table of 1,861 major airports — around a hundred Indian airports including every major one, the world’s busiest hubs and the main international airports of most countries — by either code, by city, by airport name or by country, and shows the coordinates, the time zone and the local time right now.
Two more modes answer the questions that usually follow: how far apart are two airports (great-circle distance in km, miles and nautical miles, with bearings, a flight-time estimate and the clock change on arrival) and which airports are nearest to a given point, for a hotel, a trekking base or a meeting location whose coordinates you have.
How to use the Airport Code Lookup
- Type a code, city, airport name or country in the search box. Matches appear instantly; an exact IATA or ICAO code is ranked first, then cities and names that start with your text.
- Click a row to open the details card with both codes, the full name, coordinates in decimal and DMS, the IANA time zone, the local time now and a dot on the world map.
- Switch to Distance between two and enter two codes (IATA or ICAO) to get the great-circle distance, bearings, an 850 km/h flight-time estimate and the time difference between the two airports today.
- Switch to Nearest to a point, type a latitude and longitude (or press Use my location) and read the closest airports with distance and compass bearing.
- Press Download results as CSV to save the current search list for a spreadsheet or itinerary.
Airport Code Lookup features
Both code systems
IATA and ICAO codes are searchable and shown together, so VIDP and DEL both find Indira Gandhi International.
Accent-insensitive search
Zürich, São Paulo and Chișinău match whether or not you type the accents, and partial words match city and airport names.
Time zones that follow the rules
Each airport carries its IANA zone; the local time and the UTC offset are computed by your browser, so daylight-saving changes are handled automatically.
Distance and bearing
Haversine great-circle distance on the mean Earth radius, initial and final bearings and a route drawn on the embedded map.
Nearest airports
Sorted by distance from any coordinate, with a geolocation shortcut on phones and laptops that allow it.
Nothing uploaded
The whole table ships with the page; searches, distances and your location never leave the device.
IATA vs ICAO codes
IATA codes are assigned by the International Air Transport Association for ticketing and baggage; they are usually mnemonic (BLR for Bengaluru, AMS for Amsterdam) but history shows through — Chennai is MAA from Madras, Mumbai is BOM from Bombay and Kolkata is CCU from Calcutta. ICAO codes come from the International Civil Aviation Organization and are structured by region: the first letter is the world area (V for South and South-East Asia, E for northern Europe, K for the contiguous United States), the second often the country (VI north India, VA west, VO south, VE east), and the last two identify the field.
| Airport | IATA | ICAO | Time zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indira Gandhi International, New Delhi | DEL | VIDP | Asia/Kolkata (UTC+5:30) |
| Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mumbai | BOM | VABB | Asia/Kolkata (UTC+5:30) |
| Kempegowda International, Bengaluru | BLR | VOBL | Asia/Kolkata (UTC+5:30) |
| Dubai International | DXB | OMDB | Asia/Dubai (UTC+4) |
| London Heathrow | LHR | EGLL | Europe/London (UTC+0, +1 in summer) |
| John F. Kennedy, New York | JFK | KJFK | America/New_York (UTC−5, −4 in summer) |
What the distance mode tells you
The distance is the great-circle (shortest) distance between the two airports’ reference points, the same figure airlines use for frequent-flyer miles. The flight-time estimate divides it by a jet cruise speed of 850 km/h and adds 30 minutes for taxi, climb and descent; published schedules are typically 5–15% longer because of routing and winds, and shorter with a tailwind. The clock-change figure is the difference in UTC offsets between the two airports today, so a flight from Delhi (UTC+5:30) to London in summer (UTC+1) shows −4 h 30 min. Use the Layover Calculator to check a connection and the Jet Lag Planner for the time-zone shift.
Coverage and limits
- The table holds 1,861 airports: about a hundred Indian airports (all the major ones and many regional fields), major and secondary airports in Europe, North America, East and South-East Asia, the Middle East and Oceania, and the main gateways of Africa, South America and the Caribbean.
- Small regional fields, military bases and general-aviation strips are not included; for an exhaustive list consult the national AIP or a dedicated aviation database.
- Coordinates are the airport reference point rounded to about one kilometre, which is more than enough for distances but not for navigation.
Airport Code Lookup FAQ
What is the difference between an IATA code and an ICAO code?
IATA codes are three letters used for tickets, bags and public timetables; ICAO codes are four letters used in flight plans, air-traffic control and weather reports. Both identify the same airport, and this airport code lookup accepts either.
Why is Mumbai BOM and Chennai MAA?
IATA codes rarely change once assigned. BOM comes from Bombay and MAA from Madras, the cities’ names when the codes were issued. Kolkata (CCU, from Calcutta) and Bengaluru (BLR, assigned under its older spelling) are similar cases.
How is the distance between two airports calculated?
With the haversine formula on a sphere of mean radius 6,371.0088 km, using each airport’s reference point. It is the great-circle distance, which is what frequent-flyer programmes and airline statistics use.
Can I find the nearest airport to my location?
Yes. In Nearest to a point press Use my location and allow the browser to share it, or type a latitude and longitude. The closest airports are listed with distance and compass bearing. Your position is used only on your device.
Does the lookup include small airports?
No. The embedded table covers 1,861 major and most-searched airports worldwide, including all major Indian airports. Some recently opened airports, very small regional and private airfields are not listed.
Is the local time correct during daylight saving?
Yes. Each airport carries its IANA time-zone name and your browser applies the current rules, so summer-time changes in Europe, North America and Australia are reflected automatically.