What is the international agency for airlines?

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is a United Nations agency, established to help countries share their skies to their mutual benefit.



There are two primary international agencies that govern and represent the airline industry, each with a different focus. The first is the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which is a trade association for the world’s airlines. IATA represents some 330 airlines, comprising 80% of total air traffic. It focuses on setting industry standards for safety, security, and efficiency, and is well-known to travelers for the three-letter airport codes (like LAX or LHR) and two-letter airline codes (like AA or BA) it manages. The second is the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is a specialized agency of the United Nations. While IATA represents the private sector, ICAO is an intergovernmental organization that establishes the international standards and recommended practices (SARPs) for civil aviation safety, security, oversight, and environmental protection. Together, these two agencies ensure that air travel remains a safe, standardized, and globally interconnected system, allowing passengers to fly across borders with confidence in the technical and operational consistency of the flight.

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Both IATA and ICAO are international organizations that oversee civil aviation operations. However, the IATA generally supports the airline industry, while the ICAO provides global standards for air transport operations. Furthermore, the IATA uses a different list of airport codes that passengers can easily relate to.

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The ICAO airport codes, also known as location indicators, are the four-letter sequences used by pilots and air traffic controllers in their charts, on-board systems and in communications.

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Membership of IATA amounts to some 300 airlines in 120 countries. On this page, you will find a selection of critical IATA programs, policies, and services to support airlines.

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IATA has over 50 offices over the world, supporting our members in some 120 countries. The IATA regional pages are your access to regional priorities and news.

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What are IATA regulations and standards? IATA regulations are based on the recommendations put in place by governing entities such as ICAO and standards built through industry working groups populated by member airline delegates and relevant industry associations who collaborate with IATA.

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The IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations is a field manual version of the ICAO Technical Instructions. Written and edited by airline dangerous goods experts, the Dangerous Goods Regulations present the requirements for shipping dangerous goods by air in a user friendly, easy to interpret format.

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The FAA's Office of International Affairs (API) is responsible for providing international coordination and outreach to support the harmonization of global aviation system modernization efforts. This supports the FAA's international mission to promote a safe, secure, seamless, and sustainable global aerospace system.

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At its founding, IATA had 57 members from 31 nations, mostly in Europe and North America. Today it has some 300 members from 120 nations in every part of the globe.

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The International Air Transport Association is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences that served as a forum for price fixing.



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An IATA certification means your business follows airline carrier rules. For businesses without IATA DGR training, airline carriers can refuse shipments and blacklist. Your business will be unable to operate without an IATA certification. The training certification proves your commitment and compliance to safety.

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IATA assigns a unique two-character code (Airline Designator Code) to all airlines – even the ones that aren't IATA members. It consists of 2 letters or a letter and a digit. For example, AA stands for American Airlines, KL for KLM, 7S for Ryan Air, etc.

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The only non-Contracting States are the Holy See and Liechtenstein.

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As a Specialized Agency of the UN, ICAO works closely with the UN, and particularly with the Economic and Social Council. In light of its technical mandate, ICAO also works closely with other UN Specialized Agencies and International Organizations, such as: ?The International Telecommunications Union (ITU);

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Basically, the ICAO is focused on civil aviation regulations, whereas IATA is a trade association for airlines. The FAA is the United States' civil aviation authority, governing domestic airlines, their operations and regulations.

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