Learn why Category D/E parking stands disappear in MSFS 2020, how radius, taxi links and scenery conflicts cause it, and which fixes work.
Category D and E parking stands are usually missing in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 because the airport scenery does not define them as usable parking records, defines their radius too small for the selected aircraft, or leaves them disconnected from the taxi network. Conflicting airport add-ons can also replace otherwise valid stand data.
What makes a large parking stand usable in MSFS 2020?
A visible apron, painted stand number or modelled jetway does not automatically create a usable parking position. MSFS 2020 needs a parking object containing the stand's location, heading, type and radius, normally connected to the airport's taxi network.
The radius is especially important. If it is too small relative to the aircraft's wingspan, the stand may be unavailable for assignment or treated as suitable only for a smaller aircraft. Incorrect parking types and broken taxi links can also stop ATC and AI traffic from using it correctly.
Strictly speaking, D and E are ICAO aerodrome code letters rather than parking categories. Code D covers aircraft with wingspans from 36 metres up to but not including 52 metres; Code E runs from 52 metres up to but not including 65 metres. Our explanation of ICAO airport size and wingspan classifications covers why those labels do not guarantee that every stand at an airport accepts the same aircraft.
Why can I see a stand but not select or use it?
The terminal model and the airport facility data are separate parts of the scenery. A developer can reproduce the markings and buildings accurately while omitting a parking object, entering an undersized radius or placing the connection point incorrectly.
This happens most often at automatically generated airports or where the source airport data lacks detailed stand information. It can also occur at detailed airports: handcrafted scenery does not guarantee perfect parking metadata.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Best check |
|---|---|---|
| The stand works with a small aircraft but not a wide-body | Parking radius is too small | Repeat the selection with aircraft of different wingspans |
| The stand is painted on the apron but never listed | No parking object exists, or the scenery excludes it | Compare the stock airport with any installed airport package |
| The stand can be selected, but ATC or AI will not use it | Wrong parking type, insufficient size or broken taxi connectivity | Check whether other aircraft receive ground routes to it |
| Large stands disappear after installing scenery | Two packages define the same airport or an add-on overrides stock data | Disable duplicate airport packages one at a time |
| The aircraft spawns inside a building or adjacent aircraft | Bad position, heading or radius metadata | Use another stand until the scenery is corrected |
How do I diagnose missing Category D or E stands?
- Test a smaller aircraft. If the stand appears or receives assignments only with a narrow-body or regional aircraft, incorrect stand sizing is the leading cause.
- Return to the stock airport. On PC, temporarily disable airport packages for that ICAO code. An empty Community folder does not rule out separately installed content managed within the simulator.
- Remove duplicate airport definitions. Two packages covering the same airport can override parking records, taxi paths and exclusions in unexpected ways.
- Separate selection from ATC assignment. A stand present on the departure map but unavailable after landing may be occupied, incompatible with the configured parking type or inaccessible through the taxi network.
- Check whether every large stand is affected. One missing position points to a local scenery error; an entire terminal missing its heavy-aircraft stands suggests incomplete airport data or a package conflict.
For other variations of the problem, such as every parking position disappearing or the wrong stand sizes being exposed, see our diagnosis of missing selectable airport parking spots.
Can missing wide-body parking stands be restored?
Yes, but there is no simulator setting that can create parking records absent from the scenery. The practical fix is a corrected airport package; otherwise, start from another suitably sized stand or use a runway start.
On PC, an airport scenery package can correct the parking position, radius, type and taxi-path connection. Do not edit files inside the simulator's official content folders, because updates may replace them. Our MSFS scenery and airport add-ons may provide a replacement for the affected airport.
Xbox users cannot apply local Community-folder edits, so the correction must come through an updated compatible scenery package. If no corrected airport is available, using a runway start avoids spawning a Category D or E aircraft inside a terminal object.
A common mistake is to enlarge every parking radius without moving the stand or checking adjacent positions. That may make a wide-body eligible, but it can also create overlapping parking circles, collisions and poor AI routing. A proper scenery fix must account for stand spacing, aircraft wingspan, terminal clearance and taxi connectivity together.