Airliners-India.com

deaphen · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 933 Location: India

never understood why they choose 9W....is there some statutory requirement that there has to be a number and an alphabet? not likely since we have sg and it.

comments on 9W?

avbuff · Member Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 5031

HAWK21M · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 8:15 am Post subject:

Its the IATA designated code.
regds
MEL
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TKMCE · Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 957

I am sure Jet Airways would have liked to use JA when they stared but as far as airline codes go, it is "first come first served" as far as I know. When Jet Airways started in the early in 1990s, JA was already taken up by an airline which had started much much earlier, the former JAT of the undividied Yugoslavia which started in 1927.

Same for Indian Airlines - code IC. By the time IC was formed in the early 1950s, the code was taken by Iraqi Airways which started in 1945.

Qatar Airways is yet another example. THey started with Q9, shifted ina few years to QR after the code was vacated but QA is still off limits as it is used by Aerocaribe, the Mexican airline which was founded in 1975.

TKMCE · Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 957

To add to my earlier post, earlier in the era where there were very few airlines, each airline had a unique two letter code. Subsequently the number of airlines increased and some airlines were very reluctant to follow the erstwhile Vayudoot's way (their code was PF - since most of the two letters starting with V were taken). So a combination of a letter and a number was introduced. So you had Modi Luft with M9, East West with 4S, Damania with D2 and NEPC with D5. IATA was actually planning to shift to a three letter ciode and infact all airlines were allocated the same IC- was IAL). But the cutover has been posponed for some time. One reason given was that the earlier ticket stock which was pre printed had space only for a two letter designator and not a three letter one (this was before the Eticket era). But now that IATA is agressively pushing for 100% E ticketing, three letter IATA codes may soon become a reality.

G-BYGB · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 12:49 pm Post subject:

Indigo airlines has E6 as its code.
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G-BYGB · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 12:53 pm Post subject:

Does IATA consider the proposal given by airlines as to what code they want?Do airlines have a say in it?
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HAWK21M · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 5:33 pm Post subject:

Thanks Rajeev.Very Educational.
regds
MEL
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himmat01 · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 1392 Location: DEL

In some cases IATA issues controlled duplicates. It issues the same code to two different airlines on condition that they do not operate in the same area.

Example: IT has been given to Kingfisher Airlines and Irtysh Avia from Kazakhstan.
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shivendrashukla · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 7:56 pm Post subject:

deaphen · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 933 Location: India

it is 6E.
regards
nitin

the_380 · Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 3:29 am Post subject:

Basically airline codes are assigned by the IATA. Its like you've gotta take whatever you get. No wonder even an airline like Singapore Airlines has its code as SQ whereas 'Q' doesn't even come in its name!
Howeven some airlines like Air India, Air Canada, Continental Airways, British Airways, American Airlines, etc were lucky to get their IATA codes as their airlines initials.
PS: Im guessing the new AI-IC merged airline will have a new code Rolling Eyes

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HAWK21M · Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 7:33 am Post subject:

justbala · Member Joined: 11 Jan 2007 Posts: 1898 Location: Bangalore

I guess it wud be the domestic operator who would change.

If i remember rt Spicejet was initially given the IATA code of OS , which is also used by Austrian. After Austrian started flights to India, Spicejet's code was changed to SG.

Nimish · Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 3:32 pm Post subject:

HAWK21M · Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 5:26 pm Post subject:

shivendrashukla · Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 9:00 pm Post subject:

the_380 · Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 10:22 pm Post subject:

HAWK21M · Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 7:31 pm Post subject:

aarbee · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 328 Location: WAS/AMD