Fix offset airport terminal buildings in FSX and Steam Edition by finding duplicate AFCADs, mismatched BGLs, exclusions and scenery-order conflicts.
Airport terminal buildings are usually offset in FSX or FSX: Steam Edition because the active airport-layout BGL and terminal-placement BGL come from different scenery releases, or two add-ons cover the same airport. Keep one complete package, disable duplicate AFCAD and placement files, correct its Scenery Library priority, then restart FSX.
What causes an FSX terminal to be misaligned?
A mismatch between operational airport data and visual object placement is the usual cause. FSX can obtain runways, taxiways, aprons, parking positions and AI paths from one BGL while another BGL places the visible terminal.
The community commonly calls an airport-definition file an AFCAD, even when it was made with a different airport editor. A package may also contain exclusions, custom model libraries, textures and separate object-placement BGLs. Filenames alone do not prove that all those components belong to the same release.
| What appears in FSX | Likely cause | What needs correcting |
|---|---|---|
| Gates and taxiways agree, but the terminal is beside the apron | Incorrect or mismatched terminal-placement data | Replace or reposition the terminal placement |
| The terminal fits the apron, but parking and taxiways are shifted | Wrong airport-definition BGL | Replace the AFCAD while retaining the correct visual scenery |
| Two terminals or overlapping buildings appear | Duplicate placement BGLs or a missing exclusion | Disable the obsolete scenery and verify the intended exclusions |
| The whole airport is internally aligned but does not match the real airport | The scenery represents an older layout or uses inaccurate coordinates | Install a complete updated airport rather than moving one building |
| The terminal is correctly positioned horizontally but floats or sinks | Airport elevation, flatten or terrain conflict | Diagnose the elevation files instead of the AFCAD coordinates |
An airport-layout update is not necessarily full scenery. It may move parking and taxiways without replacing the old terminal, which creates the very mismatch it was meant to correct. Our explanation of airport-layout updates versus complete terminal scenery will help identify which type of package is required.
How do I fix an offset airport terminal in FSX?
The reliable fix is to identify which scenery files FSX is combining, then leave only one compatible set active.
- Test the stock airport. Disable the third-party airport entry in the Scenery Library, close FSX completely and reopen it. If the stock runways, aprons and buildings align with one another, the add-on or a conflict involving it is responsible. The stock airport may still differ from the modern real-world layout.
- Look for another package covering the same airport. Check airport, city, regional and AI-traffic scenery areas. Search their add-on folders for the ICAO code and names beginning with common labels such as
AF2orADEX, but treat those names only as clues. - Disable scenery areas before individual files. Turn off one suspect Scenery Library entry at a time and retest. Once the offending area is known, close FSX and isolate its BGLs individually if necessary. Move a suspect file entirely outside the active
Sceneryfolder and keep a backup; do not alter the simulator's default airport BGLs. - Keep one matched release together. Use the airport definition, terminal placement, exclusions, model libraries and textures supplied for the same version of the package. Combining a newer AFCAD with an older terminal-placement file often leaves the terminal alongside the new apron.
- Correct the Scenery Library order. Place the specific airport above broader regional, city and landclass scenery. Entries higher in the displayed library have greater priority. Follow our guide to setting FSX scenery priority when airport files overlap if several areas cover the location.
- Disable duplicates rather than relying on priority alone. A higher-priority airport definition does not automatically prevent every lower-priority object from being drawn. If two complete editions of the airport are installed, deactivate the older one.
- Check exclusions and display settings. The intended package needs an exclusion if it replaces stock or regional buildings. Raising Scenery Complexity temporarily can reveal a terminal whose display level was too high, but that setting cannot change an object's coordinates.
- Choose the component that actually needs changing. Move the terminal only when the runway, apron, gates and AI routes already agree. If the terminal is correct but the operational airport is displaced, replace or edit the airport-definition BGL instead.
A mistake we see constantly is deleting the model-library BGL because it contains the terminal model. A library normally defines what the object looks like; a placement BGL tells FSX where to draw it. Removing a shared library can make buildings disappear at several airports without fixing the underlying placement conflict.
Why does changing scenery priority not always fix it?
Scenery priority can select one airport definition while FSX continues to draw objects placed by another active package. Airport layouts, exclusions and visible models are not treated as one indivisible airport.
This explains why moving an airport to the top of the library may shift the gates and taxiways but leave the terminal in its old position. The correct package must include an exclusion for underlying buildings, or the obsolete placement file must be disabled. Our guide to finding overlapping airport definitions and placement BGLs covers conflicts that remain after the library order has been corrected.
Why is the terminal still the same after I change the scenery?
If the airport terminal is still in the same wrong place after a change, FSX is probably loading another copy of the scenery or the file you edited was not the active placement file.
- Wrong installation folder: the Scenery Library may point to a different copy from the one you edited.
- Another duplicate remains: regional scenery or an AI package may contain a second airport definition under an unexpected filename.
- Only the AFCAD changed: the terminal may be placed by a separate BGL that remains active.
- No exclusion is present: the replacement scenery may be loading correctly while the stock or regional terminal continues to show underneath it.
- FSX has not reloaded the files: exit the simulator fully after moving, replacing or recompiling BGLs, then reopen it for a clean test.
Test from the same parking position and viewpoint after each change. Altering several files at once makes it difficult to tell which BGL controls the terminal and can leave a partially disabled package.
Can Airport Design Editor move the terminal?
Airport Design Editor can move a generic or library-object terminal when that placement is available in the airport project. Rule out duplicates first, or the second scenery package may continue drawing its original terminal after the edited airport is compiled.
Use our Airport Design Editor workflow for inspecting and compiling FSX airports to load the correct source, adjust the object and create a replacement safely. Preserve the original files and compile into a dedicated add-on scenery area rather than overwriting default FSX data.
A custom terminal compiled through a separate placement project may not appear as a movable object in the airport-definition file. In that case, changing gates or parking positions will not move the model; the proper solution is a corrected placement BGL from the scenery source project.
Does FSX: Steam Edition need a different fix?
FSX: Steam Edition uses the same airport BGL, object-placement, exclusion and Scenery Library principles as boxed FSX. The repair procedure is therefore the same, although installation folders and the active library path can differ.
Older automatic installers may target another FSX installation or an inactive folder, especially on systems that have contained both editions. Confirm where the active Scenery Library entry points and verify that the complete package is there. Steam Edition also retains FSX-era stock airport data; it does not automatically update old terminals or airport layouts to their real-world replacements.