Airline Alphabet Code

In aviation, there is a different way of learning English letters. The Airline Alphabet Code [ ICAO Alphabet – Radiotelephony] is used by Pilots, Flight Dispatcher, flight crew controllers, Air Traffic Controllers, and Customer Service Agents within the Airlines.

The reason of using Airline Alphabet is to avoid pilots and controllers mishearing each other and potentially creating an accident. in March 1956 the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) adopted a standard phonetic alphabet for aviation use to help avoid confusion with similar sounding consonants and numbers.

In this article, you will understand aviation alphabet (since a B, P, T, and V sound hauntingly similar when spoken).

 

Pilot Alphabet

1- Transmission of words in radiotelephony

Pilots must be in compliance with word spelling in radiotelephony. When proper names, service abbreviations and words of which the spelling is doubtful are spelled out in radiotelephony the aviation alphabet is use.

For example, if the pilot read the record locator “ABCDEF,” it will be transmitted as, “Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo and Foxtrot.” if the pilot read the record locator is “SBRZH”, it will be transmitted as it’s “Sierra, Bravo, ROMEO, Zulu and Hotel.”

 

2- Transmission of numbers in radiotelephony

For example, if the pilot read the records of wind direction and speed " 200 degrees 70 knots", it will be transmitted as, “ wind “two” “zero” “zero” degrees “seven” “zero” knots”

In this context of use, Pilot Alphabet is called flight Alphabet.

Airline Alphabet

If you are not an airline employee, and you want to confirm your booking status. Let us Imagine that the airline's customer services ask you to spell out your booking code “ bv59d” or even your name “ maged ”. It is difficult for both of you to transmitting the correct words and numbers. But when both of you understand the airline alphabet code, it is easy, you will say my booking code is “ Bravo” “ Victor” “ Five” “ NIN-ER” “ Delta”,  and spell you name the same way.

 

THE AVIATION PHONETIC ALPHABET

Letter	Word	International Phonetic Convention	Latin Alphabet Representation
A	Alfa	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	AL FAH
B	Bravo	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	BRAH VOH
C	Charlie	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	CHAR LEE or SHAR LEE
D	Delta	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	DELL TAH
E	Echo	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	ECK OH
F	Foxtrot	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	FOKS TROT
G	Golf	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	GOLF
H	Hotel	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	HO TELL
I	India	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	IN DEE AH
J	Juliett	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	JEW LEE ETT
K	Kilo	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	KEY LOH
L	Lima	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	LEE MAH
M	Mike	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	MIKE
N	November	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	NO VEM BER
O	Oscar	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	OSS CAH
P	Papa	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	PAH PAH
Q	Quebec	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	KEH BECK
R	Romeo	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	ROW ME OH
S	Sierra	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	SEE AIR RAH
T	Tango	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	TANG GO
U	Uniform	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	YOU NEE FORM or OO NEE FORM
V	Victor	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	VIK TAH
W	Whiskey	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	WISS KEY
X	X-ray	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	ECKS RAY
Y	Yankee	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	YANG KEY
Z	Zulu	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	ZOO LOO

Pronouncing numbers similar to regular English, with a few exceptions:

The number three (3) is pronounced “tree.”

The number five (5) is pronounced “fife.”

The number nine (9) is pronounced “niner.”

Downloads Airline Alphabet code pdf

Number	Word	International Phonetic Convention	Latin Alphabet Representation
1	One	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	(WUN)
2	Two	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	(TOO)
3	Three	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	(TREE)
4	Four	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	(FOW-ER)
5	Five	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	(FIFE)
6	Six	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	(SIX)
7	Seven	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	(SEV-EN)
8	Eight	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	(ATT)
9	Nine	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	(NIN-ER)
0	Zero	Refer to Annex 10, Volume II	(ZEE-RO)

 

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