Why is it called YYZ?

(C) YYZ – Toronto Pearson International Airport The code for the station in Malton, Ontario, was YZ, which is where Pearson sits today—hence YYZ.



The airport code for Toronto Pearson International Airport, YYZ, is a holdover from the early days of Canadian aviation and telecommunications. Under the International Air Transport Association (IATA) rules, almost all Canadian airport codes begin with the letter 'Y'. The "YZ" portion dates back to the Morse Code identifiers for the railway stations along the Canadian National Railway in the early 20th century. The code for the telegraph station in Malton, Ontario—the exact location where Pearson Airport was eventually built—was "YZ." When the airport was established, it simply adopted the existing station code, adding the mandatory Canadian 'Y' at the start. While "YTO" would seem more logical for Toronto, that code is used as a "metro-code" to group all airports in the Toronto area, including Billy Bishop (YTZ).

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(C) YYZ – Toronto Pearson International Airport As for the 'YZ' part, that dates all the way back to the Morse Code railway stations along the Canadian National Railway, which had two-letter identifiers. The code for the station in Malton, Ontario, was YZ, which is where Pearson sits today—hence YYZ.

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As air travel became common, Canadian airports began to use 3 and now 4-letter codes, typically begin with the letter “C”. It is also thought that the reason the letter Y is used for all (or most) Canadian airports, is that the letter “Y” indicated there was a weather reporting station at the airport or close by.

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