Airline / AWB Prefix Lookup
airline_lookupSearch 6,356 airlines by name, IATA code, ICAO code, AWB prefix, or country. AWB prefixes are the first 3 digits of an air waybill number and identify the issuing carrier (e.g. 176 = Emirates).
Provide ONE parameter: query is a ranked fuzzy search across names and codes; iata / icao / prefix / country are exact filters.
Behavior: read-only; fuzzy query hits report their match quality through the envelope's confidence (basis match_quality, score 0-1) with a FUZZY_BEST_MATCH advisory naming the matched field; a query that contains no name falls back to the closest names in the dataset ("Emirats" → Emirates). A query or country answer is a list: summary rows, 25 per page, with total, truncated and next_offset (full: true for full records); an iata / icao / prefix answer is the holder records in full. Rate-limited: a limit error carries reset_at, the UTC time the allowance resets.
Returns: count and results[] — per airline: airline_name, iata_code, icao_code, awb_prefix[], callsign, country, has_cargo and verification fields (aliases and sources in full records); prefix_shared + prefix_holders on every record with a prefix; on cargo records operational_status (active / ceased / unknown) with operational_status_basis, restrictions[] when the EU or UK Air Safety List names the carrier, and carrier-published cargo_website / tracking_url_template / dg_acceptance_url where they exist — under result, plus confidence, _source and citation (the FreightUtils v1 response envelope).
Limitations: this dataset's provenance is pending independent verification (the envelope's provenance_status says so) — confirm operationally critical codes with IATA/ICAO or the carrier.
Related: airport_lookup (searches AIRPORTS, not carriers), validate (checks an AWB number's check digit and names its airline from this dataset when one record holds the prefix, otherwise lists the candidates).
Identifiers: Each record carries fu_id, a stable FreightUtils identifier (and fu_version_id where the dataset has editions); resolve_reference resolves one to exactly its record.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| full | No | Lists only: true returns full records (provenance, sources, rationale) instead of summary rows. A single-record call always returns the full record. | |
| iata | No | Exact IATA code (2 alphanumeric chars) | |
| icao | No | Exact ICAO code (3 letters) | |
| codes | No | Batch: up to 50 airline codes — 2 characters IATA, 3 letters ICAO, 3 digits AWB prefix — answered as results[] in input order, each with its own status. Send alone. | |
| limit | No | Lists only: rows per page (default: every row for summaries; 5 with full: true). | |
| query | No | General search (name, code, prefix or country — 2 to 200 chars) | |
| offset | No | Lists only: rows to skip (default 0). The response gives total and next_offset. | |
| prefix | No | AWB prefix (3 digits) | |
| country | No | Filter by country name (min 2 chars) |
Output Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| ok | Yes | ||
| _meta | No | ||
| as_of | No | ||
| result | Yes | ||
| status | No | ||
| _source | Yes | ||
| edition | No | ||
| citation | Yes | ||
| validity | No | ||
| warnings | No | ||
| confidence | Yes | ||
| missing_inputs | No | ||
| blocking_errors | No | ||
| envelope_version | Yes | ||
| normalized_input | No |