Aircraft Type Codes
That cryptic “aircraft: 738” on your booking? Search the code — or the model — to see exactly what you’re flying, with both the IATA and ICAO codes and the body type.
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Popular aircraft
Airbus A320neo
Narrow-bodyBoeing 737 MAX 8
Narrow-bodyBoeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Wide-bodyAirbus A350-900
Wide-bodyAirbus A321neo (incl. LR/XLR)
Narrow-bodyBoeing 777-300ER
Wide-bodyAirbus A220-300
Narrow-bodyEmbraer E175
Regional jetA curated list of the aircraft you’re most likely to fly — the IATA code is the one shown on most bookings (“738”), the ICAO designator is the four-character one (“B738”). It isn’t the full register, and some families share or split codes across sub-variants. For the complete official list, search ICAO Doc 8643.
Related tools
What plane is “738”?
A “738” is a Boeing 737-800, one of the most common narrow-body jets in the world (its ICAO designator is B738). The codes on a booking are aircraft type codes: a short IATA equipment code like 738, 32N or 789, or the four-character ICAO designator like B738 or A20N. Search any code, manufacturer or model above to see exactly which aircraft it is.
Methodology: The lookup is a curated list of the airliners passengers most often fly, each tagged with its ICAO type designator (ICAO Doc 8643), its IATA equipment code where one is unambiguous, the manufacturer and model, and the body type. Codes were verified against published references — the IATA and ICAO designator listings, SkyBrary and manufacturer data — rather than recalled from memory, and any sub-variant code that sources genuinely disagree on is left blank rather than guessed. It isn't the full ICAO register (which spans thousands of types); the search links through to the official Doc 8643 lookup for anything not covered. How we test & calculate.
The third piece of the booking puzzle
A flight involves three sets of codes: the airport, the airline, and the aircraft. The first two are easy to look up; the aircraft is the one that leaves people guessing, because it usually appears as a bare three-character code — “aircraft: 738” — with no explanation. This tool is the missing decoder: type the code and find out you’re on a Boeing 737-800, an Airbus A320neo, or a 787-9 Dreamliner.
Two codes for every plane
Aircraft, like airlines and airports, carry both an IATA and an ICAO code. The IATA equipment code is the short one on your ticket — 738, 32N, 789. The ICAO type designator is the four-character version that flight plans and controllers use — B738, A20N, B789. They describe the same aircraft, so this tool shows both, and you can search by either, or just type the model or manufacturer if that’s all you know.
Knowing your aircraft is useful
Beyond curiosity, the type tells you a lot about the flight: whether it’s a narrow-body for a shorter hop or a wide-body built for long haul, roughly how many seats to expect, and which seat-map to look up. Pair it with the flight tracker to watch your specific aircraft in the air, or the airline-code and airport-code tools to decode the rest of your itinerary.
Checked, not guessed
Every code here was verified against published IATA and ICAO references rather than filled in from memory, and where sources genuinely disagree on a sub-variant’s code it’s left blank instead of shown as a guess. The list covers the aircraft passengers actually fly rather than the entire register, so for an unusual type the search box links straight to the official ICAO Doc 8643 lookup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between the IATA and ICAO aircraft code?
They’re two parallel systems. The IATA equipment code is the short three-character one airlines and booking sites use — “738” for a Boeing 737-800, “32N” for an Airbus A320neo. The ICAO type designator (from ICAO Doc 8643) is the four-character one used in flight plans and air-traffic systems — “B738”, “A20N”. This tool shows both for each aircraft, since which one you see depends on where you’re looking.
Where do I find the code for my flight?
It’s usually on your booking confirmation or the flight details, listed as the “aircraft” or “equipment” — often just the bare code like 738 or 789, sometimes the full name. You’ll also see it on flight-status pages and seat-map sites. Type whatever you have into the search above — code, manufacturer or model — and it’ll find the match.
Why does a code like “738” sometimes vary (73H, 7S8)?
Airlines occasionally use slightly different IATA codes for the same basic aircraft to flag a sub-variant — for instance a 737-800 fitted with winglets might appear as 73H rather than 738. They’re the same airframe with a detail difference. This tool lists the main code for each common type; if you see an unusual variant, the base model is almost always the one shown here.
Is every aircraft in the world here?
No — this is a curated list of the airliners passengers actually fly on today, across Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, ATR and a few others, rather than the entire ICAO register, which runs to thousands of types including military, cargo-only and historic aircraft. If you can’t find an unusual one, the search box links through to the official ICAO Doc 8643 lookup, which has the complete set.
How accurate are the codes?
Each code was checked against published references — the IATA and ICAO designator listings, SkyBrary and manufacturer data — rather than filled in from memory. Where a sub-variant’s IATA code is genuinely ambiguous or contested between sources, it’s left blank rather than shown as a guess. Codes very rarely change, but for anything safety- or operations-critical, confirm against the official source.