Why is FlyByWire ATC not working in MSFS?

FlyByWire does not provide a separate ATC service: the A32NX and A380X use Microsoft Flight Simulator’s built-in ATC through their powered COM radios. If ATC is not working, select VHF1/COM1 for reception and transmission, tune an available frequency, file the flight plan in MSFS, disable AI radio handling, then test a default aircraft.

This applies to the simulator’s built-in ATC in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The cockpit push-to-talk control does not make built-in ATC recognise spoken replies; select the displayed response unless you have separately configured a compatible voice-control system.

MSFS ATC not working: how to isolate the fault

A test in a default aircraft quickly separates an MSFS-wide failure from a FlyByWire radio or installation problem.

1. Load a default aircraft at the same airport. Open the ATC interface and try the same facility. If its menu is also blank, silent or unresponsive, the A32NX is not the cause.
2. Use a controlled airport. A small or uncontrolled airfield may have only a traffic frequency, with no separate clearance, ground or tower controller. Being parked at an airport does not guarantee that Ground is available.
3. Power the aircraft properly. Connect external power or start the APU, then confirm that the avionics and radio panels are alive. A lit flyPad or cabin display does not prove that the radio and audio buses are powered.
4. Diagnose on VHF1/COM1. Put the controller’s frequency in the active VHF1 position, select VHF1 reception, raise its volume and select VHF1 as the transmit source. Leave VHF2 out of the test until ATC works.
5. Turn off AI radio handling. The assistance feature that manages radio communications can retune COM1 or answer before you do. Disable it temporarily and make every frequency change and reply yourself.
6. Start a genuinely new flight. Return to the main menu rather than reloading a saved flight. A save may restore the aircraft’s route and the simulator’s ATC session in different states.

What does “VHF 1 reception not selected” mean in the A350?

The warning means that VHF1 may be tuned, but the audio control panel is not set to receive its sound.

Reception and transmission are separate selections in an Airbus-style cockpit. Selecting VHF1 for transmission, or merely placing a frequency in the active window, does not necessarily switch on VHF1 audio. On the audio control panel at the seat you are using, select the VHF1 receive control and turn its volume up; then select VHF1 as the transmit source if you need to answer.

1. Confirm electrical power. The radio management and audio control panels must be powered, not just the aircraft’s displays.
2. Check the active frequency. Enter the frequency in standby and transfer it to active. Make sure it is on VHF1 rather than VHF2.
3. Select VHF1 reception. Use the VHF1 listening or receive control on the audio panel and raise its associated volume.
4. Select VHF1 transmission. Choose VHF1 as the microphone or transmit channel before sending a reply.
5. Check the correct crew audio panel. Complex aircraft may model the captain’s and first officer’s audio selections independently.

The A350 is not a FlyByWire aircraft, but this radio diagnosis still applies. Control shape and placement vary by A350 add-on, so use cockpit tooltips if the receive and transmit controls are not obvious.

How do I tune the ATC radio to Ground in Flight Simulator?

Use the airport’s published Ground frequency on active VHF1/COM1, with VHF1 reception and transmission selected.

1. Open the MSFS ATC interface. Select the airport and look for a Ground option. If the interface offers a command to tune Ground, use it while diagnosing the problem.
2. Tune manually if necessary. Enter the displayed Ground frequency in the VHF1 standby field, then transfer it to active.
3. Enable audio reception. Select VHF1 on the aircraft’s audio control panel and set an audible volume.
4. Contact the correct facility. Select Ground from the ATC interface and choose the available taxi or clearance response.

If Ground is not listed, the airport may use Tower for ground movements, have only a common traffic frequency, or be outside reception range. Our explanation of the normal MSFS frequency, clearance and controller hand-off sequence covers what should appear at each stage of a flight.

What does each ATC symptom point to?

The visible symptom usually identifies whether the failure is in the radio, audio, flight plan, aircraft package or simulator session.

Why does ATC ignore the A32NX flight plan?

Built-in ATC cannot issue a proper IFR clearance unless Microsoft Flight Simulator has its own filed flight plan.

A route entered or imported solely into the A32NX MCDU can guide the aircraft while remaining unknown to MSFS ATC. In MSFS 2020, create or load the route through the World Map planning flow. In MSFS 2024, use the simulator’s pre-flight or EFB planning flow and complete any available action that sends or files the plan with the simulator.

After loading, compare the simulator plan with the route in the MCDU. A mismatch can cause a missing clearance, incorrect runway, strange vectors or an approach that does not agree with the aircraft. Completing the MCDU INIT pages alone does not guarantee that the route has been filed with built-in ATC.

Does the A32NX ATC COMM page or flyPad control MSFS ATC?

No. The A32NX ATSU and ATC COMM pages simulate Airbus data-link functions; they are not a replacement interface for the Microsoft Flight Simulator toolbar ATC system.

An unavailable data-link page does not prove that VHF1 or built-in voice ATC is broken. Likewise, the flyPad can help with aircraft configuration and flight-plan workflows, but it does not create a separate controller or convert cockpit push-to-talk into speech recognition.

Do these fixes apply to the A220, A321neo, A350 and A380X?

The radio checks apply broadly, but the aircraft package determines where the controls are and how installation conflicts should be handled.

• A220 and A350: These are not FlyByWire aircraft. Check VHF1 reception, transmission, power and the active frequency, but do not reinstall the A32NX to repair them.
• A321neo: An A321neo may be an independent add-on or an aircraft derived from A32NX systems. Test it without other add-ons and verify any required base package rather than assuming every A321neo uses the same files.
• FlyByWire A380X: It uses the same MSFS ATC service, although its radio controls and aircraft package differ from the A32NX. If other aircraft work and the A380X has wider system failures, follow our A380X aircraft and installation troubleshooting.

How do I repair an A32NX installation that breaks ATC?

Repair the A32NX only when ATC works in a default aircraft but fails in the FlyByWire aircraft after its radios have been configured correctly.

1. Close Microsoft Flight Simulator. Do not merge or replace aircraft files while the simulator is running.
2. Find the active Community folder. MSFS installations can retain an old Community folder after the simulator or package location has been moved. Check the location actually used by the simulator.
3. Remove duplicate A32NX packages. Do not keep stable, development, old manual and installer-managed copies active together. Move them out rather than combining their files.
4. Check folder depth. The package folder containing manifest.json and layout.json should sit directly inside Community, not inside an additional wrapper folder.
5. Use the correct simulator package. Do not assume an MSFS 2020 installation can be copied unchanged into MSFS 2024. For the earlier simulator, follow our clean A32NX installation and duplicate-package checks for MSFS 2020.
6. Isolate add-on conflicts. Temporarily remove other avionics, radio, toolbar and aircraft-system packages. Test a new flight with only the required A32NX files, then restore other packages in small groups.

Community-folder steps apply to PC. Xbox and PlayStation consoles do not expose that folder for manual package repair; aircraft obtained through the simulator’s content system must be managed through the platform’s available content controls.

What if MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024 ATC is not working in every aircraft?

If a default aircraft has the same failure, the problem belongs to Microsoft Flight Simulator rather than FlyByWire.

• Return to the main menu and create a fresh flight instead of loading a save.
• Check the simulator’s ATC voice volume, text-to-speech option and selected audio-output device.
• If online voices are enabled, verify online functionality or try an available local voice option to separate a voice-service failure from an ATC logic failure.
• Remove toolbar, interface, avionics and radio add-ons temporarily, because they can affect the ATC panel without changing the aircraft itself.
• Try another controlled airport. A missing facility at one airfield is not evidence of a simulator-wide outage.

For blank ATC menus, frozen replies or silent controllers across several aircraft, use our simulator-wide MSFS ATC troubleshooting process. Reinstalling the A32NX cannot repair an ATC or audio fault that also affects stock aircraft.