Airport codes rarely change, even when an airport or city gets a new name. So some codes are little history lessons. Here are the best-known ones.
Chicago O'Hare: ORD
O'Hare started life as Orchard Field. It was renamed after the naval aviator Butch O'Hare in 1949, but the code ORD, from ORcharD, stayed.
Orlando: MCO
Orlando's main airport was once McCoy Air Force Base. The base is long gone, but MCO lives on.
New Orleans: MSY
MSY comes from Moisant Stock Yards, the site of the original airfield, named after the aviator John Moisant.
Cincinnati: CVG
Cincinnati's airport is actually in Kentucky, near the town of Covington. Hence CVG.
New York JFK: JFK
This one did change. The airport opened as Idlewild, with the code IDL. When it was renamed after President John F. Kennedy in 1963, the code changed to JFK too.
Cities that changed their names
- PEK: Beijing, from Peking, the older English spelling.
- BOM: Mumbai, from Bombay. The city was renamed in 1995.
- MAA: Chennai, from Madras. The city was renamed in 1996.
- SGN: Ho Chi Minh City, from Saigon, a name locals still use.
- OPO: Porto, from Oporto, its traditional English name.
Test yourself
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