Why is FSLTL not showing AI traffic at airports in Microsoft Flight Simulator?
FSLTL usually shows no AI traffic at airports in Microsoft Flight Simulator because the injector is not connected, the sim's own traffic options are conflicting, live traffic data is unavailable, or the airport falls outside the injector's limits. Most fixes are in setup and traffic settings, not the aircraft models themselves.
Why is FSLTL not showing traffic at airports?
FSLTL is really two things: the aircraft model package and the traffic injector. If the models are installed but the injector is not running properly, you will not get live AI traffic. If the injector is running but Microsoft Flight Simulator is already generating its own traffic, the two can clash and produce poor or inconsistent results.
The other big point is this: FSLTL does not magically fill every airport with parked aircraft. It injects traffic based on live data, your current location, and the limits you set in the injector. A quiet airport, the wrong test conditions, or restrictive injector settings can make it look broken when it is actually working as designed.
| What you see | Most likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| No traffic anywhere | Injector not connected or blocked | Start the injector after the flight loads and confirm it shows a live connection |
| Airport looks empty but skies have some aircraft | Low parked aircraft limits or poor airport parking data | Raise parked traffic limits and test at a major default airport |
| Traffic exists at one airport but not another | Airport is quiet, outside radius, or has bad parking | Test at a busy hub close to your aircraft position |
| Injector says aircraft are injected but you see little or nothing | Model package not loading or traffic conflicts | Check the FSLTL models are in the active Community folder and disable other traffic add-ons |
| Random duplicates, missing gates, or odd behaviour | Default MSFS traffic still enabled | Turn the simulator's own live and offline AI traffic off while using FSLTL |
Quick checks that fix most FSLTL traffic problems
- Test at a genuinely busy airport. Start with a large international airport at a realistic daytime local time. If you test at a small regional field, late at night, or somewhere with limited airline service, FSLTL may not have much to inject.
- Load fully into the flight before starting the injector. Let the aircraft spawn, wait for the cockpit to finish loading, then run the injector. If you launch it too early or it never reports a proper connection, restart the injector and, if needed, the sim.
- Turn off the simulator's own AI and live traffic sources. When troubleshooting, let FSLTL be the only traffic injector. Default live traffic, offline AI traffic, and heavy static ground aircraft can steal parking spots, create duplicates, or make the airport look wrong.
- Check that online services are available. FSLTL depends on live traffic data and a working internet connection. If Microsoft Flight Simulator is in an offline state, or the live traffic source is having a bad day, airports can look unusually empty.
- Review the injector limits. Very low values for arrival radius, departure radius, IFR aircraft, VFR aircraft, or parked aircraft can leave airports looking dead. Raise them gradually rather than maxing everything out at once.
- Confirm the FSLTL model package is actually installed. If the injector reports traffic but you cannot see the aircraft properly, the model package may be missing from the active Community folder or not loading due to another add-on conflict.
- Disable other traffic add-ons for a clean test. Old model-matching packs, third-party AI traffic injectors, and some liveries can interfere. We would always test FSLTL on its own first.
What settings should I use in Microsoft Flight Simulator with FSLTL?
The safest approach is simple: let FSLTL handle traffic, and stop the simulator from trying to do the same job at the same time. Menu wording varies a bit between simulator versions and updates, but the principle stays the same.
| Setting area | Recommended for troubleshooting | Why |
|---|---|---|
| MSFS live traffic | Off | Prevents double injection and conflicting traffic logic |
| MSFS offline AI traffic | Off | Avoids duplicates and gate blocking |
| Ground or static aircraft | Low or Off | Frees parking stands and makes live traffic easier to judge |
| FSLTL traffic limits | Moderate to high | Too low can make large airports look empty |
| Online functionality | On | Needed for live traffic data and stable behaviour |
Once FSLTL is working, you can increase density carefully. Going too aggressive can cost frames, and very high traffic counts can overload busy hubs long before they look realistic.
Common reasons FSLTL airports look empty even when it is working
The airport is outside the injection range
FSLTL injects traffic around your aircraft, not around every airport you can see on the world map. If you spawn at one field and expect another airport many miles away to be full, it may simply be outside the active radius. This catches people out when using the drone camera or jumping around.
The airport has poor parking data
Some airports, especially older or badly made add-ons, have parking stands that are the wrong size, wrong type, or missing airline codes. FSLTL can only place aircraft into stands the airport layout allows. A real-world busy airport can therefore appear thin in the sim even with a healthy live traffic feed.
You are expecting static parked aircraft, not live traffic
Live traffic does not guarantee a ramp full of aircraft all day. Aircraft appear where the live data says they should be, and that can be lighter than you expect. The simulator's static ground aircraft are separate from FSLTL and should not be used as proof that live traffic is or is not working.
The airport is genuinely quiet
Not every airport has reliable airline traffic in the live feed, and some do very little movement at certain times of day. Before changing settings endlessly, test FSLTL at a major hub first. If it works there, the issue is usually the location, not the add-on.
What if the injector says traffic is injected but I still cannot see aircraft?
That usually points to a model-loading problem rather than a live-data problem. The injector may know where aircraft should be, but Microsoft Flight Simulator still needs the FSLTL model package to display them correctly.
- Check the Community folder. The FSLTL model package must be in the Community folder the sim is actually using.
- Look for add-on conflicts. Other traffic packages can override, replace, or break AI models.
- Restart after changes. Traffic packages do not always refresh cleanly while the sim is already running.
- Try a default airport. If traffic appears at a default airport but not a custom one, the airport scenery is the likely culprit.
- Check security software if nothing connects. In rarer cases, firewall or antivirus rules can stop the injector talking to the simulator.
Does this behave differently in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024?
The exact menus and traffic behaviour can change between simulator releases and major updates, but the core checks are the same. FSLTL needs a working injector connection, live data, compatible models, and no competing traffic system. If the problem started straight after a simulator update, it is worth testing again after the traffic add-on itself has been updated and after removing conflicting Community folder content.
The fastest way to isolate the problem
- Use a clean test. Disable other traffic add-ons and keep only FSLTL active.
- Spawn at a large default airport. Pick a busy airliner hub during daytime.
- Turn MSFS traffic off. Leave FSLTL as the only injector.
- Start the injector after loading in. Watch for a proper connection and rising injected aircraft numbers.
- Raise limits moderately. If counts are extremely low, increase the injector's traffic and parked aircraft limits.
- Compare a second airport nearby. If one airport works and another does not, the airport scenery or parking data is usually to blame.
If we had to narrow it down, the most common causes are conflicting MSFS traffic settings, injector limits set too low, testing at an airport that is not actually busy in the live feed, or a custom airport with poor parking definitions. Start there, and most FSLTL traffic problems become much easier to solve.