Airline Callsigns List: Every Radio Name, A to Z

A callsign is the name a flight uses on the radio: British Airways answers to Speedbird, Aer Lingus to Shamrock. The full list below covers 6,243 operators and comes from the FAA’s official contractions order, JO 7340.2P. Type an airline, a callsign or a three-letter code into the search box to find any of them.

Major Airline Callsigns

These are the big names you’re most likely to hear on a scanner or see on a flight tracker. Each row gives the company as the FAA lists it, the callsign spoken on the radio, and the three-letter ICAO code used in flight plans.

Callsigns That Don’t Match the Airline’s Name

Most callsigns are simply the airline’s name. A few are something else entirely, and each one has a story. These are the major airlines whose callsign shares no word with the company name.

For the history behind names like Speedbird, Shamrock and Springbok, read why British Airways is called Speedbird.

How to Read the List

Every entry has a three-letter code, the company that holds it, and its country. Most also have a telephony designator, which is the callsign itself. On the radio, the callsign comes first and the flight number follows, so Lufthansa flight 400 checks in as “Lufthansa 400.”

Some entries have no callsign listed. Many of the codes belong to charter operators, cargo carriers, flight schools and government agencies, so the list runs far beyond the airlines you’d find at a gate.

FAQ

What is an airline callsign? It’s the name a flight goes by on the radio. Pilots and controllers say the callsign followed by the flight number, so a Lufthansa flight numbered 400 is “Lufthansa 400” every time either side speaks.

What is the difference between an ICAO code and a callsign? The ICAO code is the three-letter designator written in flight plans and shown on controllers’ screens. The callsign is the spoken version. British Airways is BAW in writing and SPEEDBIRD on the radio, so BAW286 on a screen is “Speedbird 286” out loud.

Where do official callsigns come from? ICAO assigns the three-letter designators and their telephony names to each operator. The FAA publishes the full list in Order JO 7340.2, Contractions, chapter 3, and this page is built from version 7340.2P.