Should you disable the default airport in MSFS 2024? Usually no. Learn when scenery conflicts require it, what not to delete and how to fix overlap.
Usually no. In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, a properly made third-party airport suppresses the generic stock airport automatically. Disable an official handcrafted airport or another scenery package only when its developer requires it or you can confirm overlap, such as doubled terminals, jetways, markings or broken terrain.
Do you need to disable the default airport in MSFS 2024?
The ordinary stock airport should remain enabled because the replacement scenery is responsible for excluding the default buildings, surfaces and airport data it supersedes.
The phrase default airport can cause confusion. A generic base-simulator airport, an official handcrafted airport and a second third-party airport are different types of content, so they require different treatment.
| Airport content | What it means | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|
| Generic stock airport | The basic airport supplied through the simulator's base scenery and data | Leave it enabled; the add-on should override it |
| Official handcrafted airport | A detailed airport included with an edition or official content package | Disable it only when instructed or when testing confirms a conflict |
| Third-party replacement | Another complete airport package covering the same ICAO | Keep only one replacement active |
| Companion scenery | A required object library, mesh, landmark pack or developer-supplied compatibility package | Keep it if the airport documentation lists it as required or compatible |
A generic airport is not normally presented as a separate per-airport package that needs uninstalling. Its suppression is handled inside the add-on. Official handcrafted airports are more likely to be separately manageable, although the available content controls can vary with the package and simulator installation.
When should you disable built-in airport content?
Disable built-in content only after identifying a visible or operational conflict, or when the replacement airport's developer explicitly tells you to do so.
- Duplicate terminals or hangars occupying the same area
- Two sets of jetways, windsocks, signs or runway lights
- Doubled taxiway markings or apron textures
- Static aircraft and service objects embedded in the replacement scenery
- Floating or sunken objects matching structures from another airport version
- Conflicting parking positions or taxi routes that affect AI traffic and ground services
- Broken ground polygons where two airports or terrain packages edit the same surface
Missing textures, one non-working jetway or lower frame rates do not by themselves prove that the stock airport is showing through. Those symptoms can come from missing libraries, an incomplete installation, aircraft-door configuration or the complexity of the replacement airport itself.
Does FSHud require the default airport to be disabled?
Using FSHud is not a reason to disable the default airport because FSHud provides ATC and traffic functions rather than replacement airport scenery.
There can still be a data mismatch after installing a new airport. If the scenery looks correct but FSHud refers to an old stand, assigns a runway that no longer exists or produces taxi instructions that do not match the displayed layout, update or rebuild FSHud's scenery data using the supported function supplied with your installed version. Do this after deciding which airport package will remain active.
If buildings, markings or jetways are visibly duplicated, troubleshoot the scenery packages instead. Rebuilding FSHud data will not remove rendered objects from Microsoft Flight Simulator.
How do you fix it when two airports overlap?
The reliable fix is to isolate the competing package rather than deleting stock simulator files or repeatedly changing scenery priority.
- Close the simulator. Also close external programs that read its scenery data before moving or disabling packages.
- Check the airport's ICAO code. Look for an older release, an alternative airport from another developer, an official handcrafted version and regional scenery that covers the same location. Folder names are not always obvious.
- Move competing Community packages out temporarily. Place them in a holding folder outside
Community, leaving the airport under test and its required libraries active. Merely renaming a folder insideCommunitydoes not reliably disable it if the package can still be discovered. - Start MSFS 2024 and inspect the same area. Check terminals, apron markings, jetways, runway ends and the airport boundary. A full restart matters because scenery changes may not reload correctly during a running session.
- Test official content separately. If the overlap remains and an official handcrafted airport exists, deactivate that specific package through the simulator's library or content controls when available. Do not remove files from the simulator's managed or streamed content folders by hand.
- Reintroduce other add-ons gradually. If the clean test works, restore local scenery in small batches until the conflict returns. This exposes landmark, mesh and city packages that may not mention the airport in their folder names.
- Rebuild external scenery data. Once the final airport configuration is settled, refresh FSHud or any other external tool that maintains its own view of airport layouts.
If the airport never appears correctly during the clean test, reinstall it from a fresh copy and confirm that the package is not buried inside an extra folder. Our MSFS 2024 scenery installation instructions explain the correct Community package structure and duplicate-folder checks.
Should you delete or rename the default airport files?
Do not manually delete, rename or edit Microsoft Flight Simulator's managed files to remove a stock airport.
Manual changes can be restored by an update, trigger unnecessary downloads or leave the simulator with incomplete content. If an official handcrafted airport must be turned off, use the simulator's own content controls where that package is separately exposed. If it cannot be managed separately, use a developer-supplied exclusion or compatibility package rather than altering core files.
Removing a third-party package from Community is normal. Removing files from managed official or streamed content is not.
What if the airport is broken but nothing is duplicated?
A broken airport without visible overlap usually points to installation, dependency or compatibility trouble rather than the default scenery.
- Missing textures or objects: reinstall the airport and check that every required object library is present.
- Only part of the airport loads: remove the previous version before installing the replacement; do not merge old and new package folders.
- Terrain spikes or runway trenches: test without nearby mesh, city and terrain packages as well as other airports.
- Jetways do not connect: test another suitable parking stand and aircraft before assuming there is a scenery conflict.
- Wrong ATC or taxi instructions: check external scenery databases and navigation data after confirming the visual airport is correct.
What if the airport disappears completely?
A missing airport is normally caused by a disabled or malformed package, nested folder structure, duplicate airport data or an unavailable dependency—not by failure to disable the stock version.
Check whether the airport is recognised by the simulator before changing official content. Our guide to diagnosing an airport that is missing or not showing covers the next checks without risking the base installation.
Can two airport add-ons for the same ICAO work together?
Two complete airport replacements for the same ICAO should not remain active together unless their developers explicitly designed them to cooperate.
Changing package priority may hide some duplicated models, but it can leave conflicting parking positions, taxi links, exclusions, lighting or terrain underneath. Keep one full airport active. Required libraries, surrounding landmarks and dedicated compatibility patches are different because they supplement the chosen airport rather than replace it.
The practical rule is simple: install and test the replacement first, leave generic stock scenery alone, and disable only the specific official or third-party package proven to be competing with it.