Govt Rules Out Gaya Airport Code Change
Civil Aviation Minister states IATA codes are permanent, responding to a BJP MP's concerns that the 'GAY' code is "culturally offensive."
- A BJP member in the Rajya Sabha, Bhim Singh, raised concerns about the ‘GAY’ IATA code for Gaya International Airport, calling it “socially and culturally offensive.”
- In a written reply, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol stated that airport codes are permanent and are only changed in exceptional circumstances, such as for air safety.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 5th Aug: The government has virtually ruled out a change to the IATA identifier code for Gaya International Airport, ‘GAY’, stating that such codes are considered permanent and are rarely altered. The response came from Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, following concerns raised in the Rajya Sabha by BJP member Bhim Singh.
In a written reply, Minister Mohol stated that the three-letter airport codes are assigned by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and are generally based on the first three letters of the airport’s location name. He acknowledged that the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) have received requests to change the code in the past.
“IATA location codes are primarily intended for commercial airline operations… IATA has conveyed that under the provisions of IATA Resolution 763, assigned three-letter codes are considered permanent and are altered only under exceptional circumstances, usually involving air safety concerns,” Mohol said. He also mentioned that Air India had previously approached IATA with a similar request, which was also declined.
This is not the first time the airport’s code has become a subject of public and political debate. In 2021, a Parliamentary Committee on Public Undertakings had recommended changing the code to ‘YAG’, calling the existing code “inappropriate, unsuitable, offensive and embarrassing” for a city of such religious significance. The demand for a change has also drawn criticism from LGBTQ+ groups, who have viewed the requests as reflecting homophobia.
The Gaya airport code has been in use since 2011, serving both domestic and international flights, particularly from Buddhist-majority countries. The minister’s reply confirms the government’s stance, aligning with IATA’s position that the code will not be changed.
