House Panel Objects To ‘GAY’ Code For Gaya Airport; Know How Codes Are Decided & Some Unusual Airport Codes

New Delhi: A Parliamentary panel has said Gaya airport’s code, which is ‘GAY’, is inappropriate and wants it changed.

The Committee on Public Undertakings has recommended changing the airport code from ‘GAY’ and suggested an alternate code like ‘YAG’.

The panel said Gaya is considered holy by people, that’s why the code is “inappropriate, unsuitable, offensive and embarrassing”.

The Civil Aviation ministry, however, told the panel that the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which assigns codes for airports, has said the code cannot be changed without a “justifiable reason primarily concerning air safety”. IATA, an airline trade association, is headquartered in Montreal.

How airport codes are assigned

You see them while booking your flight, on flight tickets, boarding passes, baggage tags and flight information displays at airports.

There are over 40,000 airports in the world today and the IATA codes serve as airport identifiers.

The system began in the 1930s when airports decided their own two-letter codes. As the number of airports grew, however, the two-letter codes were replaced by three letters. For example, Los Angeles International Airport, ‘LA’ earlier, became ‘LAX’.

The IATA started assigning codes during the 1960s to ensure standardization. The code is decided based on the name of the airport, city or any other relevant identifier.

No two airports have the same IATA code. The code is unique for a particular airport.

Following are some interesting airport codes:

* OMG: Omega, Namibia

* GRR: Grand Rapids, Michigan

* YUM: Yuma, Arizona

* WOW: Willow, Alaska

* GAG: Gage, Oklahoma

* FUN: Funafuti, Tuvalu

* LOL: Derby Field, Nevada

* DIE: Arrachart, Madagascar

* AWK: Wake Island Airfield

* DAD: Da Nang, Vietnam

* LAX: Los Angeles International Airport