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최종 업데이트: 2026년 6월 22일 · AirportCodesDB 팀

Some airport codes make perfect sense — LAX for Los Angeles, SFO for San Francisco. But others are so confusing that even frequent flyers get tripped up. Here are the most perplexing codes and the stories behind them.

🤯 Codes That Don't Match Their City at All

Code	City	Expected?	Why This Code?
ORD	Chicago, USA	CHI?	Named after Orchard Field, a former WWII airfield. When it became O'Hare International, the code had already been assigned.
MCO	Orlando, USA	ORL?	Named after McCoy Air Force Base, which was converted to civilian use in 1975. ORL was already taken by Orlando Executive Airport.
YYZ	Toronto, Canada	TOR?	All Canadian airports get a "Y" prefix. YZ was the telegraph station code for the local weather station.
EWR	Newark/New York, USA	NEW?	EWR = Newark. NEW was already assigned to Lakefront Airport in New Orleans.
MSY	New Orleans, USA	NOL?	Named after pilot Moisant and the nearby Stock Yards. M-S-Y.
IAH	Houston, USA	HOU?	HOU was taken by Houston Hobby. IAH = Intercontinental Airport Houston.
PEK	Beijing, China	BEI?	From "Peking", the old English spelling of Beijing used when the code was assigned.
BNA	Nashville, USA	NAS?	Named after Berry Field Nashville. Berry Field was named after a WWI aviator.
CVG	Cincinnati, USA	CIN?	Actually located in Covington, Kentucky, across the river from Cincinnati.
GRU	São Paulo, Brazil	SAO?	Located in the city of Guarulhos, a separate municipality from São Paulo.

🔄 Two Airports, Same City — Which Code to Use?

Major cities with multiple airports create constant confusion for travelers. Here's your cheat sheet:

🗽 New York City

JFK — John F. Kennedy International (main international hub)
LGA — LaGuardia (domestic flights, Manhattan closest)
EWR — Newark (New Jersey, United Airlines hub)

🇬🇧 London

LHR — Heathrow (main hub, 80M+ passengers)
LGW — Gatwick (second largest)
STN — Stansted (budget airlines)
LTN — Luton (budget airlines)

🗼 Tokyo

NRT — Narita (international, 70km from Tokyo)
HND — Haneda (closer to city, domestic + international)

🗼 Paris

CDG — Charles de Gaulle (main international, northeast)
ORY — Orly (south of Paris, European/domestic)

🎯 Top Tips for Remembering Codes

1. Check the ICAO code. It often makes more sense geographically. For example, Chicago ORD's ICAO is KORD — the K means "United States."

2. Multi-airport cities. When booking flights, always double-check which airport your flight departs from. Arriving at the wrong London airport could cost you hours.

3. Historical names. Many "confusing" codes simply preserve historical names — Bombay (BOM), Peking (PEK), Saigon (SGN).

Want to learn more about the history behind these codes? Check out our complete guide to airport code origins.