Airports Data

20260315 · active · verified Sat Apr 11

airportsdata is a Python library providing an extensive database of location and timezone data for nearly every operational airport and landing strip in the world. As of version 20260315, it contains over 28,000 entries with ICAO, IATA, name, city, country, elevation, latitude, longitude, and timezone information. It is actively maintained with frequent data updates, often on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.

Warnings

gotcha The 'elevation' data for airports, representing the MSL elevation of the highest point of the landing area, is often inaccurate or approximate and should be used with caution.
Fix: Verify elevation data with official Aeronautical Information Publications (AIP) if precision is critical.
gotcha The database contains no historical data; closed airports are removed from the dataset. It only includes currently operational airports.
Fix: If historical airport data is required, a different data source will be necessary.
gotcha IATA Multi Airport Cities (MACs) are not treated as individual airports within the main `airportsdata.load()` dataset. A separate function, `airportsdata.load_iata_macs()`, is provided to access data for airports belonging to IATA MACs.
Fix: Use `airportsdata.load_iata_macs()` if you need to work with airports that are part of a Multi Airport City.
gotcha The database generally does not include seaplane bases or heliports unless they have an assigned IATA code. Similarly, surface transportation stations are not included, even if they possess an official IATA code.
Fix: For comprehensive data on seaplane bases, heliports, or transportation stations, consult specialized databases.

Install

pip install airportsdata Install latest version

Imports

load

import airportsdata
airports = airportsdata.load()

load_iata_macs

import airportsdata
iata_macs = airportsdata.load_iata_macs()

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to load the airport database and retrieve information by ICAO code, as well as how to filter and iterate through the airport data.

import airportsdata

# Load the entire airports database
airports = airportsdata.load()

# Get an airport by its ICAO code
ksea_airport = airports.get('KSEA')
if ksea_airport:
    print(f"Airport Name: {ksea_airport['name']}")
    print(f"City: {ksea_airport['city']}")
    print(f"Country: {ksea_airport['country']}")
    print(f"Timezone: {ksea_airport['tz']}")
else:
    print("KSEA not found.")

# Iterate through all airports (example: find all airports in Germany)
print('\nAirports in Germany (first 5):')
germany_airports = [a for a in airports.values() if a['country'] == 'DE']
for i, airport in enumerate(germany_airports):
    if i >= 5: break
    print(f"  - {airport['name']} ({airport['iata'] if airport['iata'] else 'N/A'})")

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