Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies an aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile. In accordance with the Convention on International Civil Aviation all aircraft must be registered with a national authority (such as the Federal Aviation Administration or Transport Canada), and furthermore, they must carry proof of this registration in the form of a legal document called a Certificate of Registration at all times when in operation. Most countries also require the aircraft registration to be imprinted on a permanent fireproof plate mounted on the fuselage for the purposes of post-fire/post-crash aircraft accident investigation.
Aircraft Registration Media
Registration JA8089 on a Japan Airlines Boeing 747-400
Air France Airbus A318 displaying registration F-GUGJ on the wing undersurface and the last two letters of the registration, GJ, on the nose wheel doors
An A321-231 displaying American Airlines registration N102NN on the rear fuselage