[Tarig Elsheikh]

أخي الكريم عماد حقيقي موضوع شييق وجميل ومهم في نفس الوقت كان هذا الموضوع يدور بخاطري قبل فترة . فشكراً لك وأسمح لي بهذة الأضافة

Civil Aircraft Registration Numbers أرقام تسجيل الطائرات المدنية

The alphanumeric code you speak of is known as the registration number. Since this registration is typically displayed towards the back of the fuselage, it is often popularly referred to as the tail number. The registration number is used to identify civilian aircraft and is comparable to a military or even an automobile license plate number. All types of civilian aircraft are required to have a registration number--including commercial airliners, business jets, personal aircraft, helicopters, former military planes in private ownership, gliders, ultralights, seaplanes, airships, blimps, and balloons. Even the new breed of privately-owned spacecraft like SpaceShipOne is required to have a registration number.

A French Concorde with the registration F-WTSA

The rules governing aircraft registration are decided upon by a multinational body called the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This group dictates the first portion of a registration code that is known as the prefix or international prefix. This prefix is typically two or three characters in length but can be as few as one or as many as four. The prefix is specific to a particular nation or region and is usually followed by a dash and then a suffix made up of one to five characters. The structure of the suffix is typically determined by that country's aviation regulatory agency, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States.
Most nations have relatively simple rules for determining the suffix. This portion of the registration is most often made up of three or four letters. Some countries instead prefer four or five numbers while a few use a mixture of letters and numbers. Because of the large number of aircraft registered in the United States, the registration code in this nation is more complex than most others. This registration is of the general form:

N[c]-n[n][n][X][X] where

2. N = international prefix for United States
3. [c] = optional category of aircraft, which is no longer in use on aircraft registered since about 1950, categories include:
   • C = standard
   • L = limited
   • R = restricted
   • X = experimental
4. - = dash separating prefix and suffix, seldom used
5. n = number (1 to 9)
6. [n] optional number (0 to 9)
7. [X] optional number (0 to 9) or letter (A to H, J to N, P to Z)

Note that the letters "I" and "O" are omitted from the registration to avoid confusion with the numbers "1" and "0." The shortest example of an American registration is of the form N1 while the maximum length is NX-999ZZ. This combination of codes makes it possible for up to 915,399 aircraft to be registered at once. However, the designations N1 to N99 are reserved for FAA aircraft only and NASA planes often use designations of the form NnnnNA where nnn is a number from 1 to 999.

SpaceShipOne showing its US registration number N328KF

Even countries with simpler registration schemes sometimes incorporate more complicated items of information into their numbers. Germany, for example, varies the structure of the suffix depending on the class of aircraft. This method is explained in greater detail below.

D-XXXX where

2. D = international prefix for Germany (Deutschland)
3. - = dash separating prefix and suffix
4. XXXX = four characters that can be either letters or numbers. Numbers (0001 to 9999) are reserved for gliders and sailplanes only. Letters (xAAA to xZZZ) are used for other types of aircraft, where the first letter (x) represents one of the following categories:
   • A = multi-engine, MTOW >20,000 kg
   • B = multi-engine, MTOW 14,000 to 20,000 kg
   • C = multi-engine, MTOW 5,700 to 14,000 kg
   • E = single-engine, MTOW <2,000 kg
   • F = single-engine, MTOW 2,000 to 5,700 kg
   • G = multi-engine, MTOW <2,000 kg
   • H = rotary-wing (helicopter)
   • I = multi-engine, MTOW 2,000 to 5,700 kg
   • K = powered glider
   • L = airship
   • M = ultralight
   • O = manned balloon

Like Germany, many other countries also register craft like gliders or ultralights with numbers even if the suffix consists of letters for other types of flying vehicles. The international prefixes and suffix patterns in current use are listed in the following table.
Nation Prefix Suffix Pattern
================================================== =========================
Afghanistan YA abc
Albania ZA abc
Algeria 7T abc
Angola D2 abc
Antigua and Barbuda V2 abc
Argentina LQ or LV abc

Armenia EK 12345

Aruba P4 abc
Australia VH abc
Austria OE abc
Azerbaijan 4K ab1
Bahamas C6 abc
Bahrain A9C ab
Bangladesh S2 or S3 abc
Barbados 8P abc
Belarus EW abc
Belgium OO abc

Cameron Z-425 balloon registered in Belgium as OO-BYR
Nation Prefix Suffix Pattern
================================================== =========================
Belize V3 abc
Benin TY abc
Bermuda Isles VPB ab
Bhutan A5 abc
Bolivia CP 1234
Bosnia and Herzegovina T9 abc
Botswana A2 abc
Brazil PP, PR, PT abc

British Virgin Islands VPLV a

Brunei V8 abc
Bulgaria LZ abc
Burkina Faso XT abc
Burundi 9U abc
Cameroon TJ abc
Canada C abcd
Canary Isles EC abc
Cape Verde D4 abc
Cayman Isles VPC ab
Central African Republic TL abc
Chad TT abc
Chile CC abc
China B abcd
Colombia HK 1234a
Comoros D6 abc
Congo (Democratic Republic of Congo) 9Q abc
Congo (Republic of Congo) TN abc
Costa Rica TI abc
Croatia 9A abc
Cuba CUT 1234
Cyprus 5B abc
Czech Republic OK abc
Denmark OY abc

Eurocopter EC-120B registered in Denmark as OY-HJN
Nation Prefix Suffix Pattern
================================================== =========================
Djibouti J2 abc
Dominica J7 abc
Dominican Republic HI 123ab
Dutch Antilles PJ abc
Ecuador HC abc
Egypt SU abc
El Salvador YS abc
Equatorial Guinea 3C abc
Eritrea E3 abcd
Estonia ES abc
Ethiopia ET abc
Falkland Islands VPF ab
Fiji Islands DQ abc
Finland OH abc
France F abcd
French Antilles FOG ab
French Guyana FO abc
Gabon TR abc
Gambia C5 abc
Gaza 4X abc
Georgia 4L 12345
Germany D abcd
Ghana 9G abc
Greece SX abc
Greenland GL abc
Grenada J3 abc
Guatemala TG abc
Guinea 3X abc

Guinea Bissau J5 abc

Guyana 8R abc
Haiti HH abc
Honduras HR abc
Hong Kong SAR B-H, B-K, B-L ab
Hungary HA abc
Iceland TF abc
India VT abc
Indonesia PK abc
Iran EP abc
Iraq YI abc
Ireland EI abc
Israel 4X abc
Italy I abcd
Ivory Coast TU abc
Jamaica 6Y abc
Japan JA 1234
Jordan JY abc

Gulfstream IV business jet JY-RAY and Lockheed L-1011 JY-HKJ in Jordanian registrations
Nation Prefix Suffix Pattern
================================================== =========================
Kampuchea XU 123
Kazakhstan UN 12345
Kenya 5Y abc
Kiribati T3 abc
Kuwait 9K abc
Kyrgyzstan EX 12345
Laos RDPL 12345
Latvia YL abc
Lebanon OD abc
Lesotho 7P abc
Liberia EL abc
Libya 5A abc
Lithuania LY abc
Luxembourg LX abc
Macau SAR CR abc
Macedonia Z3 abc
Madagascar 5R abc
Malawi 7Q abc
Malaysia 9M abc
Maldives 8Q abc
Mali TZ abc
Malta 9H abc
Marshall Islands V7 abc
Mauritania 5T abc
Mauritius 3B abc
Mexico XA, XB, XC abc
Micronesia V6 abc
Moldova ER 12345
Monaco 3A abc
Mongolia MT 1234
Montserrat VPL ab
Morocco CN abc
Mozambique C9 abc
Myanmar XY or XZ abc
Namibia V5 abc
Nauru C2 abc
Nepal 9N abc
Netherlands PH abc
New Zealand ZK or ZL abc
Nicaragua YN abc

Niger 5U abc

Nigeria 5N abc
North Korea PIC 123
Norway LN abc
Oman A40 ab
Pakistan AP abc
Panama HP 1234abc
Papua New Guinea P2 abc
Paraguay ZP abc
Peru OB 1234
Philippines RPC 1234
Poland SP abc
Portugal CS abc
Qatar A7 abc
Réunion Island FOD abc
Romania YR abc
Russian Federation RA 12345

Be-12 amphibious firefighting plane with the Russian registration RA-00046
Nation Prefix Suffix Pattern
================================================== =========================
Rwanda 9XR ab
Saint Helena VQH ab
Saint Kitts and Nevis V4 abc
Saint Lucia J6 abc
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines J8 abc
Samoa 5W abc
São Tomé and Príncipe S9 abc
Saudi Arabia HZ abc
Senegal 6V abc
Senegal 6W abc
Seychelles S7 abc
Sierra Leone 9L abc

Singapore 9V abc

Slovakia OM abc
Slovenia S5 abc
Solomon H4 abc
Somalia 6O abc
South Africa ZS, ZT, ZU abc
South Korea HL 1234
Spain EC abc
Sri Lanka 4R abc
Sudan ST abc
Surinam PZ abc
Swaziland 3D abc
Sweden SE abc
Switzerland HB abc

Pilatus B4 sailplane registered in Switzerland as HB-1252
Nation Prefix Suffix Pattern
================================================== =========================
Syria YK abc
Tahiti FOH ab
Taiwan B 1234
Tajikistan EY 12345
Tanzania 5H abc
Thailand HS 123

Togo 5V abc

Tonga A3 abc
Trinidad and Tobago 9Y abc
Tunisia TS abc
Turkey TC abc
Turkmenistan EZ a123
Turks and Caicos Isles VQT ab
Tuvalu T2 abc
Uganda 5X abc
Ukraine UR 12345
United Arab Emirates A6 abc
United Kingdom G abcd
Uruguay CX abc
United States N 12345, 1234a, 123ab
Uzbekistan UK 12345
Vanuatu VJ ab1
Venezuela YV 123
Vietnam VN 1234
Yemen 7O abc

Yugoslavia YU abc

Zambia 9J abc
Zimbabwe Z abcd
The advantage of the international prefix codes is that the registration number immediately identifies the nation of origin. Though many of the codes do not appear logical, the ICAO does make an attempt to base the prefix on the name of the country in its native language. Some of the most obvious examples include OE for Austria (Oestereich), F for France, D for Germany (Deutschland), I for Italy, JA for Japan, and G for the United Kingdom (Great Britain). It is not entirely clear why N was originally chosen for the United States when U and US were available and would seem more logical choices (A for America might also be a good choice but was used for Austria for some period of time). The prevailing theory as to why N was chosen dates back to the days of Morse code when an international conference agreed to identify various nations by a one-letter designation to avoid confusion. Since the US Navy had already been using N to identify its stations, it is believed that this letter was chosen to represent the entire United States. Many of these wireless communication codes were later adopted for aviation as well, so the N was carried over and has been retained to the present day.
We've also received a number of questions asking why India uses the code VT. You may notice that numerous countries and regions have codes starting with V, and many of these are now or once were British colonies. When the prefix code system was implemented by the ICAO, British possessions were given codes starting with V to indicate their status as part of the British Empire. The letter V was chosen to represent Viceroy, the title given to a colonial governor. Even after these nations gained their independence, many have retained the V prefix codes to the present day. Aside from India, the most recognizable example is probably Australia's VH. Exceptions include Pakistan, which gained the new prefix AP after splitting from India in 1947, and Honk Kong, which traded in its former VR for B upon its return to China. It is also noteworthy that a movement has been underway in India to request a prefix code change from the ICAO to something better representing the independent nation.
In addition to the international prefix codes in use today, many others have been discontinued. One example shown below is the CCCP (or SSSR in the Latin alphabet) once used by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. A few other prefixes no longer in use are FC for the Free France movement during World War II, DDR for East Germany, RV for Persia (now Iran), J for Japan, 4YB for the Arabic Federation (Iraq and Jordan), M and X for Mexico, HMAY for Mongolia, CH for Switzerland, and YE for Yemen prior to its breakup in 1990
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Tupolev Tu-144 displaying the old Soviet-era registration CCCP-77107

In most countries, the registration number is displayed on the fuselage using a dash to separate the prefix and suffix. The dash is usually omitted when printed in a flight plan, however, and most private pilots use this registration number as the call sign when identifying the plane to air traffic controllers. Commercial aircraft do not follow this tradition and instead use the company name and flight number as their call sign, but airlines do sometimes use the registration number for tracking and maintenance purposes.