A tiny airport in the Indian state of Bihar has caught the government's attention due to its IATA code. Gaya Airport, named after the city it serves, has been assigned the code GAY by the IATA. A parliamentary panel is now pushing the Indian government to change the code because it finds it inappropriate.
Embarrassed by the code
On February 4th, a parliamentary panel expressed its displeasure at the use of GAY as Gaya Airport's IATA code. Finding the code "inappropriate, unsuitable, offensive/embarrassing" to be used for a holy city like Gaya, the panel suggested changing it to YAG or something more suitable.
The issue, however, is a little over a year old when last year, in January, the Committee on Public Undertakings (CoPU) recommended the change in its first report tabled in Parliament. CoPU believed that the code could offend or embarrass the local population of Gaya that their city is "recognized in the international community with the code name GAY."
The panel was informed about a request received by the civil aviation ministry and had suggested to the government and Air India - an IATA member - to complete all the necessary formalities to change the airport's code.
IATA finds the reason unjustifiable
Air India had taken up the issue with the agency but was told that as per Resolution 763, airport codes are considered permanent, and a strong justification is needed to change them.
CoPU's report on the aviation ministry in Parliament said,
“Gaya airport IATA code 'GAY' has been in use since operationalisation of Gaya airstrip. Hence, without a justifiable reason primarily concerning air safety, IATA has expressed its inability to change the IATA code of Gaya airport.”
All airports have two sets of codes: IATA (International Air Transportation Association) and ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization). IATA are three-letter codes mainly used for customer-facing operations such as boarding passes and baggage tags, whereas ICAO codes have four letters indicating the airport's location.
When determining a code, the IATA asks the airport how it wishes to identify itself and then checks the availability of that letter combination. While the organization has changed airport codes in the past, it usually does so for compelling reasons. In Gaya Airport's case, it doesn't find merit in the argument.
Simple Flying has done a detailed article on airport codes, which can be found here.
About Gaya Airport
While not a major airport, Gaya Airport has its own significance. The city of Gaya is a major pilgrim destination and an important part of the Buddhist tourist circuit, which also includes Lumbini in Nepal and Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh.
As such, the city's airport has served millions of international pilgrims over the years, mainly from other Buddhist destinations in Southeast Asia, such as Bangkok, Yangon, and Colombo.
Spread over an area of 954 acres, it is the only international airport in Bihar and was voted the best in the eastern region in a customer satisfaction index (CSI) survey conducted by the Airports Authority of India in 2020.
The airport also saw more than 170 repatriation flights in 2020 under the "Vande Bharat Mission" for many passengers bound for the states of Bihar and Jharkhand.
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