Skip to main content
The airline-codes package provides a Backbone Collection interface for querying airline data. This page demonstrates how to perform basic queries using real airline codes.

​
Query by IATA Code

IATA codes are two-letter airline designators. Use the findWhere method to find an airline by its IATA code: 
const airlines = require('airline-codes');

// Find American Airlines by IATA code
const american = airlines.findWhere({ iata: 'AA' });
console.log(american.get('name')); // "American Airlines"
console.log(american.get('callsign')); // "AMERICAN"
console.log(american.get('country')); // "United States"
IATA codes are the most commonly used airline identifiers in booking systems and flight schedules.

​
More IATA Query Examples

const delta = airlines.findWhere({ iata: 'DL' });
console.log(delta.toJSON());
// {
//   "id": "2009",
//   "name": "Delta Air Lines",
//   "alias": "",
//   "iata": "DL",
//   "icao": "DAL",
//   "callsign": "DELTA",
//   "country": "United States",
//   "active": "Y"
// }

​
Query by ICAO Code

ICAO codes are four-letter airline designators used in air traffic control: 
const airlines = require('airline-codes');

// Find British Airways by ICAO code
const britishAirways = airlines.findWhere({ icao: 'BAW' });
console.log(britishAirways.get('name')); // "British Airways"
console.log(britishAirways.get('iata')); // "BA"
console.log(britishAirways.get('callsign')); // "SPEEDBIRD"
Some airlines may have empty ICAO codes in the database. Always check if the result exists before accessing properties.

​
ICAO Query Examples

// Find Cathay Pacific by ICAO
const cathay = airlines.findWhere({ icao: 'CPA' });
console.log(cathay.get('name')); // "Cathay Pacific"
console.log(cathay.get('country')); // "Hong Kong"

// Find Lufthansa by ICAO
const lufthansa = airlines.findWhere({ icao: 'DLH' });
if (lufthansa) {
  console.log(lufthansa.get('iata')); // "LH"
  console.log(lufthansa.get('callsign')); // "LUFTHANSA"
}

​
Query by Airline Name

You can also search by the airline’s full name: 
const airlines = require('airline-codes');

// Find by exact name match
const ana = airlines.findWhere({ name: 'All Nippon Airways' });
console.log(ana.get('iata')); // "NH"
console.log(ana.get('icao')); // "ANA"
console.log(ana.get('callsign')); // "ALL NIPPON"

const airlines = require('airline-codes');

function findAirlineByIATA(code) {
  const airline = airlines.findWhere({ iata: code.toUpperCase() });
  
  if (!airline) {
    console.log(`No airline found with IATA code: ${code}`);
    return null;
  }
  
  return {
    name: airline.get('name'),
    iata: airline.get('iata'),
    icao: airline.get('icao'),
    callsign: airline.get('callsign'),
    country: airline.get('country')
  };
}

// Usage examples
console.log(findAirlineByIATA('AA')); // American Airlines
console.log(findAirlineByIATA('BA')); // British Airways
console.log(findAirlineByIATA('QF')); // Qantas (if exists)
console.log(findAirlineByIATA('ZZ')); // null - not found

​
Query by Country

Find all airlines from a specific country using the where method: 
const airlines = require('airline-codes');

// Find all airlines from Japan
const japaneseAirlines = airlines.where({ country: 'Japan' });
console.log(`Found ${japaneseAirlines.length} Japanese airlines`);

japaneseAirlines.forEach(airline => {
  console.log(`${airline.get('name')} (${airline.get('iata')})`);
});
// Output:
// All Nippon Airways (NH)
// Air Japan (NQ)
// Ibex Airlines (FW)
// JAL Express (JC)
// JALways (JO)
// Hokkaido International Airlines (HD)
// ...
The where method returns an array of models, while findWhere returns a single model or undefined.

​
Query by Callsign

Air traffic control uses callsigns to identify aircraft: 
const airlines = require('airline-codes');

// Find airline by callsign
const speedbird = airlines.findWhere({ callsign: 'SPEEDBIRD' });
console.log(speedbird.get('name')); // "British Airways"

// Find by callsign "QANTAS"
const qantas = airlines.findWhere({ callsign: 'QANTAS' });
if (qantas) {
  console.log(qantas.get('iata')); // "QF"
  console.log(qantas.get('country')); // "Australia"
}

​
Handling Missing Data

Some airline records may have empty values for certain fields: 
const airlines = require('airline-codes');

// Some airlines don't have IATA codes
const airline = airlines.findWhere({ name: 'Aerocenter' });
console.log(airline.get('iata')); // "" (empty string)
console.log(airline.get('icao')); // "ACR"

// Always check before using
function getAirlineCode(airline) {
  const iata = airline.get('iata');
  const icao = airline.get('icao');
  
  if (iata && iata !== '' && iata !== '-' && iata !== 'N/A') {
    return iata;
  } else if (icao && icao !== '') {
    return icao;
  }
  
  return 'Unknown';
}
Check for empty strings, dashes (”-”), and “N/A” values when working with airline codes.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us