Why is Calgary called YYC? [Unknown] Facts about YYC Airport

Are you curious to know, Why is Calgary being called YYC?

We’ve heard you and your question has been answered below with the facts.

Before I proceed further about Calgary and YYC’s relationship. Let’s have a look at some interesting highlights about Calgary City which is being called YYC.

Calgary (YYC) City Highlights

Here are some of the important key highlights of the city of Calgary:

• Calgary has a total area of 825.56 km²

• With a population of 1,635,000 (1.6 million+), Calgary ranks 3rd largest city in Canada.

• Calgary GDP: US$ 97.9 billion (approx)

• Calgary has the highest head office concentration in Canada.

• Calgary has the 2nd lowest cost of living in Canada

• Calgary ranks third in its GDP

• Calgary has a majority young population with an average age of 37

• Calgary is the most liveable, big and amazing city.

• Calgary has more than 1000 km of pathways and the largest footbridges in the world which have the biggest nexus of connected buildings.

Why is Calgary called YYC?

Back when Canada was assigning three-letter codes to its airports, they noticed a trend: not many international airports had codes starting with ‘Y’. To set Canadian airports apart, especially from those in the U.S., they adopted a unique method. Canada added a ‘Y’ to the front of each nearby train station’s code. This way, Calgary’s train station code ‘YC‘ evolved into its airport code ‘YYC’.

Like Calgary, every city in Canada has its own international IATA code. Calgary is called YYC because it has its very own special and unique airport IATA code. Airport codes are used to uniquely identify airports worldwide.

Calgary’s ICAO code is ‘CYYC’.

While YYC doesn’t directly stand for ‘Calgary’ it was specifically assigned to Calgary’s airport to distinguish it from other airports.

Calgary got its special IATA code publicly in the year 2008. Mr. Garth Atkinson president and CEO of Calgary airport authority announced and named Calgary Airport as YYC.

The code YYC is exclusively assigned to Calgary, making it unique and allowing travellers and aviation professionals worldwide to recognize and refer to the city’s airport.

So, when you hear or see YYC, you know it’s associated with Calgary, making it a one-of-a-kind identifier.’

YYC Calgary Official Airport Links

Calgary YYC international airport has important contact details and official links.

Who is the CEO of the YYC Calgary Airport Authority?

Mr. Chris Dinsdale, who is Canadian by birth and was raised in Canada but has spent about 20 years in Hungary and was the CEO of Budapest Airport, is the new CEO of the Calgary Airport authority YYC.

Mr. Chris Dinsdale has recently been named the new president and CEO and has replaced Mr. Bob Sartor.

After an extensive search, The Calgary Airport Authority is pleased to announce Chris Dinsdale as its new President and CEO.
Chris Dinsdale was identified as the best strategic leader to take YYC through its next phase of growth. Welcome Chris!
➡️ https://t.co/VVQOHzXXrI pic.twitter.com/7rlvtKOEaM

— YYC (@FlyYYC) March 6, 2023

Mr. Chris served as a project manager at TD financial group in the year 2004 right before he left Canada.

12 Unknown Facts about YYC Calgary

The core Calgary downtown distance to YYC International Calgary airport is about 17 kilometres from the air terminal building.

There may be tons of YYC facts available. Here I am going to highlight the 12 unknown & interesting facts about YYC International Calgary Airport.

[1.] YYC Longest Runways:

YYC international airport has a total of 4 runways,  the longest one is runway 17L/35R which is 14,000 feet (4,267 meters) in length. The YYC airport is big enough to handle many different types of aircraft, including large wide-body jets. The second longest runway is Runway 17R/35L which is 12,675 feet (3,863 metres) in length.

[2.] YYC Land & Area:

YYC International Airport has a massive total land area of 20.82 square kilometres which is 5,144 acres.

[3.] YYC Nonstop Destinations:

YYC Airport has more than 23 international non-stop destinations in many different countries. There are around 29 non-stop USA destinations and 37 domestic destinations all around Canada. (YYC non-stop destinations list)

[4.] Popular Film Shoots:

The YYC Calgary airport has been featured in many famous film and television shows, taken scenes in movies like ‘Superman III’ and also been featured in ‘Fargo’ TV shows.

[5.] Indigenous Art:

YYC Calgary Airport showcases a stunning wide collection of Indigenous art at the airport.

[6.] YYC Calgary is the busiest Airport in Alberta:

YYC Calgary is the busiest international airport in Alberta, in terms of passenger traffic, aircraft traffic, cargo landing and 24/7 and 365 days yearly aircraft movements.

[7.] YYC Airport Check-In Positions:

YYC Airport has amazing airline facilities for domestic and international. YYC Calgary Domestic Airport has 55 countries & 72 kiosks. On the other hand, YYC International Calgary Airport includes 66 countries and 116 kiosks.

[8.] YYC Calgary Airport Elevation:

The elevation of YYC airport is 3557 feet which is 1084 meters.

[9.] YYC has a unique WMO Code:

What is YYC Calgary’s WMO Code? WMO Code stands for World Meteorological Organization Code, YYC Calgary’s WMO code is 71877.

[10.] YYC ranked 92nd in the top 100 list:

Yes, YYC Calgary International Airport ranked at 92nd position in the top 100 airports worldwide in the 2023 rankings.

YYC Airport Cargo and Passenger Volume Stats

Find out the numbers based on the latest YYC stats and

[11.] Cargo Landings:

YYC Calgary’s cargo landings in 2022 were 5,362 cargo landings.

[12.] YYC Airport Passenger Volume:

In the year 2022, YYC International Airport recorded 14.5 million passengers volume.

YYC facts source: YYC fact sheet

Why is Calgary called YYC: Conclusion

I hope you have learned something new and found this article interesting about Calgary and its YYC connection.

YYC residents will feel proud that this year in 2024 YYC Calgary airport ranked 92nd position in the top 100 worldwide airports list.

I hope you’ve got your detailed answer about why is Calgary called YYC. If yes, please leave your comment below, and let me know if you have any suggestions or amendments.