The ICAO airport code or location indicator is a four-letter code designating aerodromes around the world. These codes, as defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization and published quarterly in ICAO Document 7910: Location Indicators , are used by air traffic control and airline operations such as flight planning . ICAO codes are also used to identify other aviation facilities such as weather stations , international flight service stations or area control centers , whether or not they are located at airports. Flight information regions are also identified by a unique ICAO-code.
29-586: Royal Air Force Cranwell or more simply RAF Cranwell ( ICAO : EGYD ) is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire , England, close to the village of Cranwell , near Sleaford . Among other functions, it is home to the Royal Air Force College (RAFC), which trains the RAF's new officers and aircrew. The motto, Altium Altrix , meaning "Nurture the highest" appears above the main doors of
58-607: A dedicated railway station was established for the RNAS establishment on a new single track branch line from Sleaford, the train being known as The Cranwell Flyer. With the establishment of the Royal Air Force as an independent service in 1918, the RNAS Training Establishment became RAF Cranwell. The Royal Air Force College Cranwell was formed on 1 November 1919 as the RAF (Cadet) College. Cranwell
87-480: Is a pseudo-code, used in flight plans for aerodromes with no ICAO code assigned. ICAO codes are sometimes updated. Johannesburg Airport in Johannesburg , South Africa, for instance, was formerly known as Jan Smuts International Airport, with code FAJS. When the airport was renamed O. R. Tambo International Airport, its ICAO code was updated to FAOR. Some airports have two ICAO codes, usually when an airport
116-623: Is home to the Royal Air Force College (RAFC), which overseas all RAF phase 1 Training. The RAF Officer Training Academy (RAFOTA) is the sub organisation of the RAFC which trains the RAFs new officers on a 24-week Modular Initial Officer Training Course (MIOTC) , after which they are dispersed to their Phase II training for specific branch instruction. It is thus the RAF equivalent of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst or
145-734: Is home to the headquarters of No. 3 Flying Training School (No. 3 FTS). The school provides elementary flying training for fixed wing and multi-engine student pilots from the RAF and Fleet Air Arm through No. 57 (Reserve) Squadron and No. 703 Naval Air Squadron . The UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) operates the Grob Prefect T1 in this role. Although nominally based at Cranwell, elementary training largely takes place at nearby RAF Barkston Heath . After elementary training, aircrews streamed to fly multi-engine aircraft and rear-seat roles are trained by No. 45(R) Squadron , which operate five Embraer Phenom 100 . On 16 January 2018,
174-603: Is one of six groups currently active in the Royal Air Force (RAF), falling under the responsibility of Deputy Commander-in-Chief (Personnel) in Air Command . Its previous title up until 2018 was No. 22 (Training) Group . The group is responsible for RAF training policy and controlling the Royal Air Force College and the RAF's training stations . As such, it is the direct successor to Training Group . 22 Group provides training to all three service branches of
203-751: Is shared by civilian and military users. Frankfurt Airport in Frankfurt , Germany, for instance, has been assigned ICAO code EDDF while Rhein-Main Air Base was assigned ICAO code EDAF until its closure. Sion Airport in Switzerland has code LSGS while its military facilities have the ICAO code LSMS. Brussels Airport in Brussels , Belgium, has the ICAO code EBBR for its civilian facilities, and Melsbroek Air Base has been assigned ICAO code EBMB, even though
232-638: The AOC Training Units with Personnel and Training Command its controlling formation. Prior to 1 April 2006 Training Group held British Government agency status, operating as the Training Group Defence Agency ( TGDA ). Upon the loss of its agency status, the formation became known simply as Training Group. The Group had seven areas of responsibility: The current creation of No. 22 Group was established on 30 October 2006, once again as No. 22 (Training) Group. This creation
261-548: The Britannia Royal Naval College . The station is home to the Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre (OASC), where all applicants to the RAF as officers or non-commissioned aircrew , are put through a rigorous selection process. HQ CFS has been located at RAF Cranwell since 1995 when it moved from RAF Scampton . The Central Flying School currently trains all RAF QFI flying instructors. Cranwell
290-600: The British Armed Forces ; namely the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy , and the British Army . Although No. 22 Group was due to be formed on 1 April 1918, the same day as the Royal Air Force was established, it was not activated until 1 July 1918 ; 106 years ago ( 1918-07-01 ) , in the RAF's North-Western Area. It was activated at RAF East Fortune , but moved its headquarters to
319-606: The Jezero Crater on Mars is assigned the special ICAO code JZRO. Codes beginning with I (Ixx and Ixxx) are often used for navigational aids such as radio beacons, while the Q code is reserved for international radiocommunications and non-geographical special use. In Russia , Latin letter X, or its Morse / Baudot Cyrillic equivalent Ь , are used to designate government, military, and experimental aviation airfields in internal airfield codes similar in structure and purpose to ICAO codes but not used internationally. ZZZZ
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#1732776381202348-546: The ICAO code indicate the country; the remaining letters identify the airport. ICAO codes are used partly for geographical context. For example, the ICAO code for Heathrow International Airport in London, is EGLL, with its first letters reflecting that it is based in the United Kingdom . On the other hand, IATA codes do not provide geographic reference. For example, LHR, representing Heathrow, does not enable one to deduce
377-635: The Officers Mess. Since January 2023, RAF Cranwell has been commanded by Group Captain Tina Jessup. The history of military aviation at Cranwell goes back to November 1915, when the Admiralty requisitioned 2,500 acres (10 km) of land from the Marquess of Bristol 's estate. On 1 April 1916, the "Royal Naval Air Service Training Establishment, Cranwell" was officially born. In 1917
406-664: The Skyes Building was opened at Cranwell by Air Marshal Sean Reynolds , the Deputy Commander Capability and Senior Responsible Owner of the UKMFTS. The building acts as a UKMFTS operational support building and is used to train new RAF pilots. It was named after Air-Vice Marshal Sir Frederick Hugh Sykes , a British military officer and politician who served during the First World War . Since
435-530: The Station Hotel, Stirling . The next month, on 8 August 1918, it received the designation 'Operations', or possibly 'Marine Operational', making its full title No. 22 (Operations) Group , or possibly No. 22 (Marine Operational) Group . It controlled No. 78 Wing RAF , and stations at Auldbar , Chathill ( airship station), Dundee, East Fortune, Kirkwall / Orkney, Longside (airship station), Luce Bay, RAF Machrihanish , Peterhead, and Strathberg. With
464-536: The United Kingdom, but nearby civilian Port Stanley Airport is assigned SFAL, consistent with South America . Saint Pierre and Miquelon is controlled by France, and airports there are assigned LFxx as though they were in Europe. Kosovo is assigned the code BKxx grouping it with Greenland and Iceland rather than its geographical neighbors which have Lxxx (described below). Jerusalem International Airport
493-596: The effect of high altitude on the body; hypoxia training rigs; and helmet-testing gear." The Recruit Training Squadron, which delivers the Basic Recruit Training Course (Phase 1) to all Royal Air Force recruits, is planned to relocate from RAF Halton, which is due to close in 2027, to RAF Cranwell in December 2025. ICAO airport code The recommendations for ICAO airport codes were adopted on 24 March 1959, and came into force on 1 October
522-513: The group comprised 26 Squadron at RAF Catterick ; RAF Hawkinge with 2 Squadron ; RAF Odiham and No. 50 (Army Cooperation) Wing , with 4 , 13 , and 53 Squadrons ; RAF Old Sarum with the School of Army Co-operation and 16 and No. 59 Squadron RAFs ; and group headquarters and No. 1 Anti-Aircraft Cooperation Unit at South Farnborough. On 24 June 1940, No. 22 Group was once again raised to command status and later that year, on 1 December,
551-605: The location of the airport LHV with any greater certainty; it is William T. Piper Memorial Airport in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania in the United States . There are a few exceptions to the regional structure of the ICAO code that have been historically for political or administrative reasons. RAF Mount Pleasant air base in the Falkland Islands , for instance, is assigned the ICAO code EGYP as though it were in
580-734: The mid-1990s, Cranwell has been home to Headquarters, Air Cadets , and the Air Cadet Organisation 's Adult Training Facility. The following notable flying and non-flying units are based at RAF Cranwell. No. 22 Group (Training) RAF No. 2 Group (Air Combat Support) RAF RAF Air and Space Warfare Centre Other RAF Units The RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine , which consists of three wings: Aviation Medicine Wing, Occupational and Environmental Medicine Wing, and Support Wing, will re-locate from RAF Henlow to RAF Cranwell by 2026. The equipment being relocated includes: "aircraft cockpit rigs; hypobaric chambers, which simulate
609-441: The name of the airport or the city it serves, while ICAO codes are distributed by region and country. Far more aerodromes (in the broad sense) have ICAO codes than IATA codes, which are sometimes assigned to railway stations as well. The selection of ICAO codes is partly delegated to authorities in each country, while IATA codes, which have no geographic structure, must be decided centrally by IATA. The first one or two letters of
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#1732776381202638-507: The new command was expanded to become RAF Army Cooperation Command . On 1 August 1943, the group was re-established as No. 22 (Training) Group in Technical Training Command , responsible for all training in ground trades , from electronics to cooking. The group continued in its training function for nearly thirty years, until it was disbanded 31 January 1972. Training Group ( TG ) was formed on 1 April 1994 from
667-478: The post First World War Royal Air Force force reductions, No. 22 Group was disbanded on 30 May 1919 ; 105 years ago ( 1919-05-30 ) . The next creation of No. 22 Group came on 12 April 1926 ; 98 years ago ( 1926-04-12 ) , when the group was re-formed from No 7 Group within Inland Area. The group's designation was No. 22 (Army Co-operation) Group , and its headquarters
696-510: The same year. ICAO codes are separate and different from IATA codes , the latter of which have three letters and are generally used for airline timetables , reservations, and baggage tags. For example, the IATA code for London 's Heathrow Airport is LHR and its ICAO code is EGLL. IATA codes are commonly seen by passengers and the general public on flight-tracking services such as FlightAware . In general IATA codes are usually derived from
725-563: The style LFddnn , where dd indicates the department while nn is a sequential counter. The French Federation of Ultralight Motorized Gliders was formally named the keeper of these codes. Aerodrome de Torreilles in France, for instance, has code LF6651. In Antarctica many aerodromes have pseudo ICAO-codes with AT and two digits, while others have proper codes from countries performing air control such as NZ for New Zealand . No. 22 Group RAF No. 22 Group Royal Air Force ( 22 Gp )
754-524: The two airports share runways and ground and air control facilities. In small countries like Belgium or the Netherlands, almost all aerodromes have an ICAO code. For larger countries like the UK or Germany this is not feasible, given the limited number of letter codes. Some countries have addressed this issue by introducing a scheme of sub-ICAO aerodrome codes; France, for example, assigns pseudo ICAO codes in
783-399: Was a renaming of Training Group which ceased to exist as No 22 Group was re-established. 22 Group is responsible for: The areas of responsibility are: The following military bases are directly controlled by No. 22 Group: The following aircraft squadrons are directly controlled by No. 22 Group: As of May 2023 , No. 22 Group is led by Air Vice-Marshal Ian Townsend , who
812-691: Was assigned both LLJR (its Israeli persona) as well as OJJR (its Jordanian persona), but the airport itself fell into disuse. In the contiguous United States and Canada, many airports have ICAO codes that are simply copies of their three-letter IATA codes, with the geographical prefix added on (e.g., YEG and CYEG both refer to Edmonton International Airport , while IAD and KIAD both refer to Washington Dulles International Airport ). This similarity does not extend to Alaska (PAxx), Hawaii (PHxx), or U.S. territories. Kahului Airport on Maui , for instance, has an IATA code of OGG and an ICAO code of PHOG. ICAO airport codes do not begin with I or J or X or Q, though
841-496: Was at South Farnborough . On 17 February 1936, No. 22 Group was transferred from the control of Inland Area to that of the Air Defence of Great Britain . Later that same year, on 1 May, the group was raised to command status. However, only just over two months later, on 14 July, the newly created command was reduced back to group status, becoming part of Fighter Command on the day of Fighter Command's creation. In 1938,
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