Disable or reduce AI traffic in FSX with the right sliders, traffic BGL method and add-on controls, plus fixes when aircraft remain.
To disable AI aircraft in FSX or FSX: Steam Edition, set both Airline Traffic Density and General Aviation Traffic Density to 0 on the Traffic settings tab. To reduce rather than remove traffic, lower those sliders separately. Third-party traffic injectors must usually be disabled in their own control software.
Reduce AI traffic with the FSX sliders
FSX controls scheduled AI aircraft through two independent density sliders in its Display settings.
- Open the Traffic tab. Open FSX's Display settings, then select Traffic.
- Adjust airline traffic. Lower Airline Traffic Density to reduce scheduled commercial aircraft, or set it to 0% to remove them.
- Adjust general aviation traffic. Lower General Aviation Traffic Density separately, or set it to 0% to disable GA aircraft.
- Apply the changes. Return to the flight and allow FSX to rebuild the local traffic. Reload the flight if aircraft do not disappear straight away.
For a moderate amount of activity, 10–20% is a sensible starting range at busy airports. The percentage is not an exact aircraft count: traffic schedules carry activation values, so lowering a slider can remove particular flights or airlines rather than evenly thinning every airport. Our guide to diagnosing AI traffic filtered by FSX's sliders explains this behaviour in more detail.
Which FSX traffic sliders affect aircraft?
Only Airline Traffic Density and General Aviation Traffic Density directly control scheduled AI aircraft.
| FSX setting | What it controls | When to reduce it |
|---|---|---|
| Airline Traffic Density | Scheduled commercial AI aircraft | Reduce it when large airports are overcrowded or performance drops near major hubs. |
| General Aviation Traffic Density | Light aircraft and other GA traffic | Reduce it when smaller airports are too busy, or set it to 0% if you only want airline traffic. |
| Airport Vehicle Density | Moving service vehicles on airport surfaces | Lower it to reduce ground clutter and possible taxiway conflicts; it does not remove aircraft. |
| Road Vehicles | Cars and other road traffic | Lower it for performance. This setting has no effect on AI aircraft. |
| Ships and Ferries / Leisure Boats | Marine traffic | Reduce these only when you also want fewer AI vessels. |
To keep airliners but remove light aircraft, leave Airline Traffic Density at the desired level and set General Aviation Traffic Density to 0%. Reverse those settings if you only want GA activity.
How do I completely remove the default FSX AI aircraft?
Rename the stock traffic file when you want a reversible file-level switch for default AI, particularly if replacement traffic should remain available.
- Close FSX. Do not modify traffic files while the simulator is running.
- Open the installation folder. Go to
Scenery\World\Sceneryinside the main FSX directory. - Find the stock file. Locate
trafficAircraft.bgl. If Windows hides extensions, enable file-name extensions before proceeding. - Disable the file. Rename it to something FSX will not load, such as
trafficAircraft.bgl.off. Do not delete it. - Restart FSX. Restore the original name whenever you want the default aircraft back.
This removes stock scheduled aircraft but does not disable traffic supplied by other BGL files or external injectors. Our file-based method for removing default FSX traffic provides additional background on locating and preserving the original file. A Steam file verification or FSX repair may recreate it, so check for a new copy if the default aircraft return.
Why is AI traffic still visible at 0%?
Aircraft can remain at 0% when they are injected externally, built into scenery or not controlled by the two aircraft traffic sliders.
- Third-party traffic injector: Disable traffic in the add-on's own application or stop the injector before loading FSX. Injected aircraft may ignore FSX's density settings.
- Static scenery aircraft: Some airport scenery includes parked aircraft as scenery objects. They cannot taxi or receive ATC instructions and must be disabled through that scenery's options.
- Multiplayer aircraft: Other human-controlled aircraft are not AI and are unaffected by traffic density.
- Airport vehicles or boats: These have separate sliders on the Traffic tab.
- Additional traffic BGLs: Renaming
trafficAircraft.bglremoves only the default schedules. Add-on traffic files can remain active when the density sliders are above 0%.
Do not rename every BGL in the scenery folders: the same extension is used for airports, terrain and other scenery data. Scheduled add-on traffic compiled as a normal FSX traffic BGL should ordinarily follow the airline or GA density slider.
Will reducing AI traffic improve FSX performance?
Yes, reducing AI traffic can improve frame rate and smoothness at crowded airports because FSX must process each aircraft's movement, taxi routing and ATC interaction.
The gain depends on the airport, processor and installed add-ons. If performance is the reason for reducing traffic, lower airline and GA density first, then reduce road and airport vehicles; road traffic can be especially demanding. Our broader FSX performance-tuning advice covers the other settings that commonly limit frame rate.