Learn why FSX airport terminal buildings are offset and fix duplicate AFCAD files, scenery priority, mismatched BGLs and object placement.
Airport terminal buildings are usually offset in FSX because the active airport-layout BGL and the terminal’s object-placement BGL come from different scenery releases, or because two airport add-ons are active together. Use one matched airport package, remove duplicate third-party AFCAD files, and give that package the highest relevant Scenery Library priority.
What causes an FSX terminal to be misaligned?
FSX often stores the operational airport and its visible buildings separately. The airport-definition BGL—commonly called an AFCAD—controls runways, taxiways, aprons, parking and AI paths, while another BGL may place the terminal model.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to correct |
|---|---|---|
| The terminal is offset, but gates and taxiways align with each other | Incorrect building coordinates or a mismatched object-placement BGL | Replace or reposition the visual terminal |
| The terminal follows one apron while gates follow another | Airport files from different releases are active | Install one complete, matched scenery package |
| Two terminals or overlapping buildings appear | Duplicate scenery or a missing exclusion | Disable the obsolete airport package and check its object BGLs |
| The whole airport is internally aligned but differs from the real airport | The scenery represents an older airport layout | Use an updated full-airport package rather than moving one building |
| The building is horizontally correct but floats or sinks | Airport elevation, flatten or terrain-mesh conflict | Treat it as an elevation problem |
A vertical displacement needs a different diagnosis; our guide to separating elevation faults from scenery-placement errors covers that case. If the intended custom terminal has vanished and a stock building remains elsewhere, check the causes of missing FSX airport buildings instead.
How do I fix an offset airport terminal in FSX?
- Establish a stock baseline. Disable the airport add-on through the Scenery Library and restart FSX. If the stock airport is internally aligned, the add-on or a conflict between add-ons is responsible. Remember that the stock layout may represent an older real-world airport.
- Look for duplicate airport packages. Check active airport, city, regional and AI-traffic scenery entries for files covering the same ICAO code. Filenames often contain the code or prefixes such as
AF2orADEX, but naming is not consistent. - Isolate suspect third-party BGLs. Close FSX, then move one suspect file outside every active Scenery folder or temporarily change its
.bglextension. Test one change at a time. Do not alter the simulator’s default scenery BGLs. - Keep files from one release together. The airport definition, terminal placement, exclusions, model libraries and textures should belong to the same package version. Mixing a newer AFCAD with an older terminal BGL is a common cause of this fault.
- Correct the Scenery Library order. Put the specific airport above broader regional or city scenery. If two complete versions of the same airport are installed, disable one rather than relying only on priority.
- Check the installation. Confirm that both the package’s Scenery and Texture folders are present and active. Temporarily raise Scenery Complexity when testing; this can reveal whether a density setting is suppressing the intended terminal, although it cannot move a building.
- Decide which element is actually wrong. If the runway, apron, gates and AI paths agree, move the terminal. If the terminal matches the intended site but parking and taxiways do not, correct the airport-definition BGL instead.
Why does changing scenery priority not always fix it?
Scenery priority can select the higher airport definition without suppressing every lower-priority object. FSX may therefore use runways and parking from the top AFCAD while still drawing a terminal placed by another active BGL.
This is why moving an airport to the top can leave two terminals or one terminal beside the wrong apron. Disable the obsolete package’s placement files as well, or use a correctly designed exclusion that removes the underlying buildings.
Can Airport Design Editor move the terminal?
Airport Design Editor can reposition a generic or library-object terminal when that object is available in the airport project. Use editing only after ruling out duplicate files; otherwise, the second scenery package may continue drawing its original building.
Our practical Airport Design Editor workflow explains how to load the correct airport, edit its layout and compile a replacement safely. Save the project, back up the original files and compile into a dedicated add-on Scenery folder rather than overwriting default FSX data.
A custom terminal compiled in a separate placement BGL may not be movable through the airport-definition file. In that case, the proper fix is the original source project or a corrected scenery release; editing parking positions alone will not move the model.
Does FSX: Steam Edition need a different fix?
FSX: Steam Edition uses the same airport BGL, object-placement and Scenery Library principles as boxed FSX. Only the installation paths may differ.
Older automatic installers can target a different FSX directory, so confirm that the active Scenery Library entry points to the folder containing the complete package. A partial installation can leave an old AFCAD active alongside a terminal from another location.