Fix AI traffic not showing in any flight simulator by checking traffic modes, density, live services, injectors, models, schedules and parking.
AI traffic usually disappears because the traffic source is disabled, density is set to zero, an injector is not connected, required model libraries are missing, or another traffic package is overriding it. In any flight simulator, first identify whether you use built-in, live, scheduled or injected traffic, then troubleshoot that source alone.
Which AI traffic source should be visible?
Each traffic source has different requirements, so changing random traffic sliders rarely solves every case. Multiplayer pilots, static scenery aircraft and ground-aircraft density are not substitutes for active AI airline traffic.
| Traffic source | What it requires | Typical failure |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in offline AI | AI traffic enabled and density above zero | The wrong traffic mode or a disabled airline or general-aviation slider |
| Live traffic | Online functionality, a connection and an available data feed | Online services are disabled, unavailable or blocked |
| Scheduled traffic | Active flight plans, matching aircraft and suitable airports | The timetable is inactive, the model is missing or no flight operates at that time |
| External injector or plugin | A working simulator connection plus installed model libraries | The injector is disconnected, using the wrong simulator profile or cannot find its models |
| Mission or scenario traffic | AI units, routes and triggers placed by the mission designer | The scenario contains no traffic or its trigger conditions were not met |
How do I get missing AI traffic back?
Use a controlled test that separates source, model and airport problems instead of reinstalling everything at once.
- Test at a busy default airport. Load a normal daytime flight at a large stock airport and allow the simulator time to populate traffic. A small airfield or an add-on airport with faulty parking data is a poor test location.
- Select one traffic source. Enable built-in offline traffic, live traffic or an injector—not all three together. Two active sources can compete for aircraft slots, TCAS control or parking positions.
- Set airborne traffic above zero. Check airline, general-aviation or AI aircraft density as applicable. Road vehicles, airport workers and parked-aircraft density do not generate scheduled flights.
- Verify online services for live traffic. Confirm that online functionality and the live traffic source are enabled. If offline AI appears but live aircraft do not, the fault is with connectivity, account services or the feed; use our Microsoft live-feed and online-service checks for that branch of the diagnosis.
- Check the injector connection. Start the injector in the order its documentation requires, load a flight and inspect its status or log. A “connected” message proves that the simulator interface is available, but it does not prove that aircraft models are installed.
- Confirm the model library and flight plans. Make sure packages are in the simulator's active add-on location rather than an old installation or another profile. Scheduled traffic also needs aircraft identifiers that exactly match installed models.
- Remove competing traffic packages. Temporarily disable other injectors, traffic BGL files, plugins and static-aircraft packages. Restart the simulator after changing package registration or scenery-library entries.
- Retest the airport and schedule. Try another large default airport and a different simulator time. If traffic works there, the original airport probably lacks valid routes, parking spaces or a usable taxi network.
Which simulator-specific faults matter most?
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024
Microsoft Flight Simulator traffic depends on the selected live, offline or injected source, and the ground-aircraft setting can produce parked aeroplanes without creating real departures. External injectors also need a functioning simulator connection and their separate model package.
For the newer simulator, follow our MSFS 2024 traffic-source and model-library checklist. If the problem is limited to one popular injector, the FSLTL connection, base-model and airport checks narrow it down further.
On Xbox, and on PlayStation 5 with MSFS 2024, a Windows background injector cannot run alongside the console simulator. Use traffic functionality supported by that platform rather than PC-only executables or Community-folder packages.
FSX and Prepar3D
FSX and Prepar3D scheduled traffic needs an active traffic BGL, valid flight plans and an installed aircraft whose title= entry matches the plan. Traffic files are commonly placed under Scenery\World\Scenery, although an add-on can use another active scenery folder.
In FSX, a legacy FS2004-format traffic BGL can suppress FSX-format traffic plans, so isolate old traffic files when schedules vanish after installing another package. Missing WOAI aircraft have several package-specific causes covered in our WOAI installation, BGL and parking diagnosis.
X-Plane
X-Plane's native AI aircraft must be added to the flight configuration, while traffic plugins normally manage their own aircraft and CSL model matching. Run only one plugin that takes control of AI or TCAS data; competing plugins can leave the traffic map populated while no aircraft are drawn.
DCS and mission-based simulators
DCS and similar mission-based simulators do not automatically provide a worldwide airline schedule. Aircraft must exist in the mission or be generated by its scripts and triggers, so traffic settings cannot create units that the scenario never defined.
Why are aircraft parked but not flying?
Parked aircraft are often static scenery objects or ground-density models rather than functioning AI flights. They have no flight plan, crew logic or departure time and will never taxi.
If genuine AI remains parked, check the timetable, simulator clock, available runway and connected taxi routes. Dense static-aircraft scenery can occupy the gates an injector needs, causing arriving or departing traffic to be rejected.
Why does traffic work at one airport but not another?
Traffic coverage depends on flight-plan routes, airport identifiers, parking capacity and taxi-network quality. An add-on airport may change an ICAO code, remove suitable parking or contain disconnected taxi links even though its scenery looks correct.
Success at a stock hub proves that the basic traffic source and model library work. At that point, troubleshoot the affected airport or schedule rather than reinstalling the complete traffic system.
Why can ATC see traffic that I cannot?
ATC can track a traffic object even when its visual model is missing, culled or outside the expected viewing range. Use traffic labels or the simulator's traffic display to confirm its position and altitude, then check model matching and aircraft libraries.
For injected traffic, an entry on TCAS with no visible aeroplane strongly points to missing models or a rendering conflict. If neither ATC nor TCAS detects anything, return to the source, connection and schedule checks first.