Aircraft Registration Explained: Why Pakistani Planes Start with AP-
Look closely at the side or tail of any airliner and you'll see letters like AP-BMV or A6-EGO. That's the aircraft's registration, its number plate. Unlike a flight number, which changes every trip, the registration stays with the plane for as long as it is registered in that country.
The prefix tells you the country
The first part of the registration shows where the aircraft is registered. Prefixes are assigned by international agreement, and every country has its own.
| Prefix | Country | Example airlines |
|---|---|---|
| AP- | Pakistan | PIA, Airblue, AirSial, Fly Jinnah, Serene Air |
| A6- | United Arab Emirates | Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, Air Arabia |
| A7- | Qatar | Qatar Airways |
| HZ- | Saudi Arabia | Saudia, flynas, flyadeal, Riyadh Air |
| A9C- | Bahrain | Gulf Air |
| A4O- | Oman | Oman Air, SalamAir |
| 9K- | Kuwait | Kuwait Airways, Jazeera Airways |
| TC- | Turkey | Turkish Airlines, Pegasus |
| VT- | India | Air India, IndiGo |
| G- | United Kingdom | British Airways, Virgin Atlantic |
| N | United States | American, Delta, United |
Registration vs flight number vs hex code
There are three different identifiers you'll meet on a flight tracker:
- Flight number (PK301): the service on your ticket. Different plane every day, same number.
- Registration (AP-BMV): the physical aircraft. Same plane, many different flights each day.
- Hex code (like 760123): a unique six-character address built into the plane's transponder, linked to its registration.
So if you want to follow one specific plane, maybe the one your family member flies on as crew, or a special livery, search the registration.
How to search a registration on fly24
Type it into the search box at the top of fly24, with or without the dash: "AP-BMV" or "APBMV". If the plane is flying, the map jumps to it and shows its current flight, route, altitude and, often, a photo of that exact aircraft taken by plane spotters.
Why planes change registration
When an aircraft is sold or leased to an airline in another country, it gets re-registered with that country's prefix. A plane can carry several registrations over a 25-year career, which is why spotters keep careful records of each airframe's history.