Docs/Sources/Airport Code Grounding Data

Airport Code Grounding Data

Convert between IATA and ICAO codes

OperationalCredits 2 per callp50 145msTransportation

Overview

Airport Code Converter automatically detects whether you've submitted an IATA or ICAO code based on length, then returns the corresponding code in the other format. Uses a comprehensive database of 40,000+ airports worldwide.

Live Test Airport Code Grounding Data Source →

The tool

Once your client is connected to the VerveContext server, this appears in its tool list as AirportCodeGroundingData. It is read-only and open-world — it fetches and never mutates anything on your side — so most clients call it without asking you to confirm.

Tool call
{
  "name": "AirportCodeGroundingData",
  "arguments": {
    "code": "MCI"
  }
}

You do not name the tool yourself; the model picks it. Asking about MCI in the terms this source covers is enough for it to reach for AirportCodeGroundingData on its own — naming it explicitly also works, and is the way to force the call.

Connecting

One server URL covers every source in the catalog, including this one. Authorization is OAuth: the client opens a browser once, and there is no key to paste into a config file.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vervecontext": {
      "url": "https://api.vervecontext.com/v1/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Per-client setup — Claude, Cursor, VS Code, ChatGPT — is on the MCP setup page.

Arguments

These are the properties on the tool's inputSchema, so a well-behaved client validates them before the call is made. Premium arguments are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.

ArgumentTypeDescription
codeRequiredstringThe airport code to convert (IATA: 3 letters, ICAO: 4 letters)

What the model gets back

The result carries a structuredContent object matching the tool's declared outputSchema, so a client reads fields without parsing prose. status is "ok" and error is null on success; a null field means the value was not available for that input, not that the call failed.

Result
{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "input": "MCI",
    "inputType": "IATA",
    "iata": "MCI",
    "icao": "KMCI",
    "name": "Kansas City International Airport",
    "city": "Kansas City",
    "state": "Missouri",
    "country": "US",
    "elevation": 1026,
    "latitude": 39.2976,
    "longitude": -94.7139,
    "timezone": "America/Chicago",
    "found": true
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

FieldTypeExampleDescription
inputstringMCIOriginal airport code provided in request
inputTypestringIATADetected input code format (IATA or ICAO)
iatastringMCIThree-letter IATA airport code
icaostringKMCIFour-letter ICAO airport code
namestringKansas City International AirportOfficial airport name
citystringKansas CityCity where airport is located
statestringMissouriState or province where airport is located
countrystringUSCountry code (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2)
elevationPremiumnumber1026Airport elevation in feet above sea level
latitudePremiumnumber39.2976Airport latitude coordinate
longitudePremiumnumber-94.7139Airport longitude coordinate
timezonePremiumstringAmerica/ChicagoAirport timezone (e.g., America/Chicago)
foundbooleantrueWhether airport code was found in database

Why ground on it

A model can produce something that looks like this answer from its training data, and be confidently out of date or simply wrong. This source returns the current value in a shape you can check, which is the difference between an answer you can cite and one you have to hedge.

Point an evaluation at input: it is the field most worth pinning a claim to, and it is either present and current or absent — never plausibly invented.

Failure modes

Errors come back as tool errors carrying a sentence the model can act on, not a bare status code. Error handling covers the full list.

StatusWhat it means
400 / 422The arguments did not validate. The message names the offending one.
401The OAuth session is invalid or expired — reconnect the server.
403Blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Never a bad identity.
404This source is not part of VerveContext. Check the catalog.
429Out of credits, or a brief rate limit. The message tells them apart.

A call costs 2 credits each time the tool actually runs; a model that reasons about the tool without calling it costs nothing.

Use cases

Flight Systems
Convert between IATA and ICAO codes for flight booking systems and aviation applications
Data Integration
Normalize airport codes when integrating data from different aviation sources
Travel Apps
Display both IATA and ICAO codes to users for comprehensive airport identification

Other ways to use Airport Code Grounding Data

Set up Airport Code Grounding Data on VerveContext, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveContext account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.

Call it as a REST APIOne HTTPS endpoint and an x-api-key header, with SDKs for Node, Python and .NET.APIVerve →Reference →
Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.VerveKit →Reference →
Google Sheets or ExcelA =VERVE() formula fills a column — no script, no export, recalculates in place.VerveSheets →Reference →

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