Summary Flight numbers are close to running out, posing challenges for airlines. American Airlines recently extended their mainline flight numbers past 3000. Solutions, like abbreviations and introduction of alphabets, are being considered to address flight number limitations.
Numbers stretch up to infinity. But this is not the same for flight numbers . We have some unforgettable flight numbers, such as the MH370, associated with the extraordinary disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines flight, or the BA001, which British Airways used for its Concorde services .
Some numbers, such as 13 or 666, are tacitly agreed to not be used for flights. Flight numbers aren’t too long, either. It would be impossible to find someone who has seen a flight number that was more than four digits long.
Even within the existing limitations of the maximum of four digits used for flights, some numbers (generally the ones above 9000) are reserved for ferry flights, while others are used for codeshare flights. The lower the route number, the more important the flight is to the airline. With the operations of airlines getting bigger by the day, one has to wonder if carriers are ever going to run out of flight numbers.
And if they do, what solutions exist? Airlines are actually close to running out of flight numbers Close to half a decade ago, Indian aviation authorities were concerned that the growth of aviation in the nation and the resulting dearth of flight numbers was a serious issue to be looked .
