Find freeware airport scenery for MSFS 2020 and 2024, with practical checks for compatibility, dependencies and Community-folder installation.
You can download freeware airport scenery for Microsoft Flight Simulator from Fly Away Simulation’s MSFS scenery library. It includes individual airports, grass strips and regional airfield packs for MSFS 2020 and 2024. Check each file’s simulator version and dependencies before downloading; PC Community-folder add-ons cannot be installed directly on consoles.
Where should I look for freeware MSFS airports?
Start by searching or browsing our freeware MSFS scenery library using the airport’s name, city or ICAO code. Searching by ICAO is usually the most reliable method because several airports can share similar names.
If you want recommendations rather than a particular location, our curated selection of notable freeware airports covers several detailed international and regional fields. Regional collections are useful for general aviation flying; the Swiss airfields scenery pack, for example, enhances several airports through one download.
How do I choose the right airport scenery?
The right download matches your simulator generation, airport ICAO and installed dependencies without duplicating another package for the same location.
| Check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Simulator version | Choose a package explicitly marked for MSFS 2020, MSFS 2024 or both. |
| Airport identity | Confirm the ICAO code, not just the airport name or nearby city. |
| Dependencies | Read the description for required object libraries, World Updates or other packages. |
| Coverage | Check whether the download replaces one airport, adds several airfields or modifies the surrounding terrain. |
| Installation method | Most freeware uses the Community folder, but an included readme or installer takes precedence. |
Do not install two replacements for the same airport unless their authors explicitly say they are compatible. Competing packages commonly produce duplicated terminals, overlapping taxiways, sunken aprons or misplaced windsocks.
Can MSFS 2020 airport scenery work in MSFS 2024?
Some MSFS 2020 scenery packages work in MSFS 2024, but compatibility is not automatic. Prefer a download that explicitly names MSFS 2024; otherwise test the older package by itself and inspect the airport for missing materials, terrain problems, broken jetways and duplicated objects.
How do I install downloaded airport scenery?
On PC, most freeware airports are installed by extracting the actual package folder into the simulator’s Community folder.
- Close Microsoft Flight Simulator. Community packages are normally detected when the simulator starts.
- Download and extract the archive. Do not place the ZIP or other compressed archive directly in the Community folder.
- Read the included instructions. Check for dependencies, optional folders and version-specific notes.
- Find the package root. A conventional package has files such as
manifest.jsonandlayout.jsondirectly inside its main folder. - Copy that folder into Community. The Community-folder location varies with the simulator, PC distribution and any custom packages location chosen during installation.
- Restart the simulator and load the airport. Check the parking positions, buildings, taxiways and runway alignment before beginning a normal flight.
A mistake we see constantly is an extra folder level created during extraction. If the structure is Community/download-name/airport-package/manifest.json, the folder containing manifest.json is usually the one that belongs directly inside Community.
Xbox and PlayStation 5 editions cannot install ordinary ZIP downloads from the web into a Community folder. Console users must obtain scenery distributed through the simulator’s supported in-simulator content system.
Why does downloaded airport scenery not appear?
An airport usually fails to appear because the package is still compressed, nested too deeply, installed in the wrong Community folder or missing a required dependency.
- No change at the airport: verify the ICAO code and check that you copied the package into the Community folder used by that simulator installation.
- Pink or missing objects: install the dependencies named by the author and confirm that every part of a multi-file download was extracted.
- Duplicate buildings or markings: remove other packages covering the same airport, then restart the simulator.
- Problems only in MSFS 2024: remove the older package and use a version explicitly declared compatible with MSFS 2024.
- The default airport is absent as well: follow our checks for an airport missing from Microsoft Flight Simulator, since the cause may be content installation or filtering rather than the freeware package.