Reading & understanding aircraft registrations

Airline fleet numbers: what the number on the aircraft means

Besides the registration, many aircraft carry an internal number from their airline. What is behind fleet numbers, ship numbers and FINs, where to spot them and how to use them in your logbook.

British G- registrations: G-INFO, personalized registrations and special cases

G-EUPJ, G-VIRG, G-BOAC: British registrations reveal nothing about weight or design, but all the more about history and operator. Here’s how the system works and how to check every sighting with G-INFO.

B registrations: telling China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau apart

B-6136, B-KPA, B-MBM, B-18918: all four carry the prefix B, but come from four different registries. How to tell mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan apart by registration, and why it works that way.

German aircraft registrations: D-A, D-E, D-K, D-M and all classes explained

The first letter after the D in a German registration is no coincidence: it stands for aircraft category and weight class. All classes from D-A to D-U, the marking rules and typical spotter mistakes at a glance.

Aircraft registrations explained: how to read any tail number

Country prefix, hyphen, registration mark: what an aircraft registration reveals, how the German D scheme works and why the registration matters more to spotters than the flight number.

Researching an aircraft’s history: previous owners, re-registrations, fate

Behind every registration is an airframe with a story. Use the serial number, official registers, fleet databases and photo archives to reconstruct where an aircraft has flown – and where it ended up.

Aircraft names: Lufthansa’s cities and other airlines’ naming systems

From the Lufthansa jet “Landshut” to the KLM A350 named after a Rembrandt painting: christening names tell stories. An overview of the main naming systems and how to use them when spotting.

How old is this aircraft? Find its age from the registration

You’ve noted the registration – now what? Serial numbers, aircraft registries and fleet databases show when an aircraft was built – and why two sources often give two different ages.

From D-1 to today: the history of German aircraft registrations

First numbers, then letters, with a restart in between and a second German state with its own prefix: the history of German aircraft registrations from 1919 to today – and what it tells you at the fence.

ICAO hex code: what the 24-bit address reveals about registration and origin

Every aircraft with a Mode S transponder broadcasts a globally unique 24-bit address. How ICAO allocates address blocks to states, what the hex code has to do with the registration, and how to use it while spotting.

Where the registration must be on an aircraft: rules on size and position

Fuselage, tail, underside of the wing: where an aircraft must carry its registration, how large the letters must be and why an N-registered jet is marked differently from a D-registered one – the rules at a glance.

Aircraft country prefixes: registration prefixes from D- to N explained

The prefix in front of the registration tells you which state an aircraft is registered in. Where the marks come from, the rules on hyphens and length, the most important prefixes for spotters and the special cases at a glance.

Looking up aircraft registries: LBA, Austro Control, BAZL, FAA and G-INFO

You noted a registration, but which type is behind it? We show which registries are openly searchable, why Germany’s aircraft register stays closed and how you can still verify sightings properly.

Bundeswehr serials explained: the numbering system and the Iron Cross

Two digits, a cross, two digits: the Bundeswehr’s tactical serial tells you the aircraft type before you’ve positively identified the model. Structure, important number blocks, history since 1956 and practical tips for spotters.

US military serials: reading USAF serials, tail codes and Navy BuNos

Two letters, small and large digits, a Bureau Number on the aft fuselage: how the US Air Force, Navy, Marines and Army mark their aircraft and how to reconstruct the full serial number from the tail.

MSN, c/n and line number: understanding aircraft serial numbers

Registrations come and go, the serial number stays. What is behind MSN, c/n and line number, how Airbus and Boeing count and how to use the numbers sensibly when spotting.

Austrian OE registrations: how the system works

OE-L on an airliner, OE-X on a helicopter, OE-9 on a motor glider: Austrian aircraft registrations follow a clear table. Here you read them letter by letter and digit by digit.

Why so many aircraft are registered in Ireland, Bermuda or Malta

The registration shows the state of registry, not necessarily the home of the airline or the owner. How leasing, offshore registers like Bermuda and group subsidiaries in Malta fit together – and what spotters can read from it.

Using Planespotters.net as a fleet database: search, history, photos

Type in a registration, read the history, cross-check the fleet: how to use Planespotters.net in everyday spotting – from search and production lists to photos, the photo API and typical misreadings.

Swiss HB registrations: format, classes and quirks

HB- plus three letters: how Swiss aircraft registrations are built, what HB-J, HB-A, HB-X or HB-R mean, why Liechtenstein also carries HB- and where the prefix comes from in the first place.

Manufacturer test registrations: F-W, D-A and N-numbers explained

Before delivery, brand-new aircraft often wear a registration that never shows up again. How the French F-W series, Hamburg’s D-A registrations and Boeing’s N-numbers work, and how to document such sightings cleanly.

Re-registration: why aircraft get new registrations

One aircraft, many registrations: why aircraft are re-registered over their lifetime, what stays the same and how, as a spotter, you avoid losing the trail across MSN, registries and databases.

US N-numbers: structure, assignment and FAA registry lookup

N12345, N8701Q, N570UP: US registrations follow a blueprint of their own made of digits and at most two letters. Structure, assignment rules, vanity numbers, hex code and the FAA registry lookup step by step.