August 1, 2026
Airport Codes in Canada: The Y Prefix Tradition
Canadian airports have a distinctive IATA coding tradition: most major airports start with Y. YYZ for Toronto, YVR for Vancouver, YUL for Montreal. Here is where this came from.
Canadian airports have one of the most recognizable coding patterns in aviation. Most major airports begin with Y — a letter with no intuitive connection to the city name but with deep historical roots in the development of Canadian radio navigation.
Where Y comes from
In the early days of radio navigation, Canadian weather stations used a W prefix for their identifier, followed by the station's two-letter name. The prefix WY was used for weather stations, and when airports began identifying themselves by radio, many inherited the Y from this system. Over time, IATA standardized on Y as the prefix for most Canadian commercial airports.
Major Canadian airport codes
- YYZ — Toronto Pearson International (the largest in Canada)
- YVR — Vancouver International
- YUL — Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International
- YYC — Calgary International
- YEG — Edmonton International
- YOW — Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International
Exceptions to the Y rule
Not all Canadian airports follow the Y pattern. Some smaller regional airports received their codes through other means, and some airports in northern Canada and the territories have codes that predate the Y convention. ICAO codes for Canadian airports use the C prefix (CYYZ for Toronto, CYVR for Vancouver).