Why is Kosovo listed as part of Serbia (RS)?

If you have noticed that Kosovian airports appear under the country code RS (Serbia) on ch-aviation, you are not alone — and there is a straightforward explanation.

Why does this happen?

ch-aviation follows the internationally recognised ISO 3166-1 standard for all country codes across the platform. This ensures consistency and interoperability with global aviation and data systems.

At present, Kosovo does not have an officially assigned ISO 3166-1 country code. Because no unique, standardised code has been issued for Kosovo by the ISO, its airports are currently listed under the country code RS, which belongs to Serbia.

What about the code "XK"?

You may have encountered the code XK used informally for Kosovo in various online sources and applications. However, XK is not an official ISO 3166-1 country code. It is a user-assigned, provisional code that some organisations have adopted independently — it carries no formal ISO recognition and is therefore not used on ch-aviation.

Will this change in the future?

Yes — as soon as Kosovo receives its own official ISO 3166-1 country code, ch-aviation will update its database accordingly and Kosovo will be listed as a separate country on the platform.

You can view the full, official list of ISO 3166-1 country codes here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-1

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