Decoding Toronto's Aviation Identifiers: YTO Versus YYZ
IATA, the global airline trade association, assigns three-letter codes to cities and airports, while ICAO, a United Nations body focused on civil aviation safety and efficiency, issues four-letter airport codes. In the Toronto area, separate identifiers exist for individual airports and the metropolitan region. Pearson International Airport is known as YYZ under IATA and CYYZ under ICAO, whereas the city-wide code YTO encompasses multiple airports.
By Logan Miller
The IATA location identifier for metropolitan Toronto is YTO.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents the majority of airlines worldwide, issues three-letter codes to identify cities and airports. In Canada's Toronto area, separate identifiers are used for distinct airports and for the city as a whole. Meanwhile, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations agency tasked with promoting safe, efficient and orderly civil aviation development, has established four-letter airport codes.
Understanding Airport Codes
The location identifiers assigned by IATA are the ones most familiar to the public and to travelers. While journeying, passengers typically encounter these three-letter codes on baggage tags, schedules, boarding passes and tickets. Airline websites also frequently display them. ICAO codes, by contrast, are generally employed by air traffic controllers and by airlines for internal planning and coordination. Travelers usually do not come across these codes during their trips.
How Airport Codes Are Structured
In ICAO codes, the first letter – or the first two letters – indicates a particular region. For most Canadian airports, the ICAO code places a "C" before the IATA code. Calgary International Airport, for instance, has the IATA code YYC and the ICAO code CYYC. In other cases, the codes can differ considerably. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is designated CDG by IATA, while ICAO uses LFPG, where "L" stands for Europe and "F" for France.
Toronto's Airport Codes
IATA assigns Toronto Pearson International Airport the three-letter code YYZ. This identifier appears on airline timetables, tickets and luggage tags to denote the airport. ICAO designates Pearson with the four-letter code CYYZ, which would be used and heard in the airport's air traffic control tower and on airline flight plans. Other Toronto airports have their own codes, such as YTZ and CYTZ for Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
The Toronto City Code
Beyond codes for individual airports, IATA also maintains codes that identify airports within a city or metropolitan area. ICAO does not assign unique codes for metropolitan regions. The IATA city code for the Toronto metropolitan area is YTO. This code covers Pearson International Airport (YYZ and CYYZ), Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ and CTYZ), Buttonville Municipal Airport (YKZ and CYKZ) and John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (YHM and CYHM).
