Find why an FSX scenery add-on overwrites or removes an airport, then isolate BGL conflicts, fix layer priority and restore the correct layout.
An FSX scenery add-on usually has not deleted the airport. It has activated a higher-priority BGL containing a second airport definition, an exclusion, or replacement objects. FSX then displays that data instead of some or all of the lower-priority airport. Physical overwriting is possible, but it is less common.
Why one FSX airport replaces another
FSX and FSX: Steam Edition build each location by reading the active BGL files in their scenery layers. A detailed airport, regional package, AI traffic add-on or older AFCAD can therefore contain overlapping data for the same ICAO code.
- Airport facility BGL: Defines runways, taxiways, parking, starts and frequencies. It may contain deletion instructions that suppress corresponding elements from the stock airport before adding replacements.
- Exclusion BGL: Removes default buildings, vegetation or other objects from a defined area so that custom objects can take their place.
- Object placement or library BGL: Supplies the replacement terminals and other models. If this component is missing, the exclusion may work while the new buildings do not appear.
- Flatten or elevation BGL: Alters airport ground height and can leave the airport buried, floating or apparently absent.
The file name does not have to match the airport's ICAO code. A broad regional or traffic package may contain airport records that are not obvious from its folder name.
When competing files are in separate scenery areas, the area nearer the top of the Scenery Library has higher priority. Our guide to controlling active FSX scenery layers explains how to enable, disable and reorder them safely. If both BGLs occupy the same scenery area, changing that area's priority cannot separate them.
How can I identify what has overwritten the airport?
The visible symptom usually indicates which part of the scenery package is conflicting.
| What appears in FSX | Likely cause | First check |
|---|---|---|
| Different runway, taxiway or parking layout | Duplicate airport facility or AFCAD BGL | Disable the newest airport, regional or AI traffic layer |
| Runways remain but terminals disappear | An exclusion is active while replacement objects or a required library are missing | Confirm that every companion scenery and object-library component is enabled |
| Old and new buildings appear together | Missing exclusion or two object-placement files | Check the package for an exclusion component and duplicate airport versions |
| Airport is sunken, raised or covered by terrain | Flatten, mesh or elevation-adjustment conflict | Look for a separate elevation BGL supplied by either package |
| Disabling the add-on does not restore the airport | A file was copied into a shared folder or physically replaced | Inspect the installer log, documentation and backup files |
How do I restore the correct FSX airport?
Restore the airport by isolating the conflicting BGL and keeping only one intended airport definition active.
- Back up before changing files. Close FSX and copy any BGL you intend to rename or move to a safe folder outside the simulator.
- Disable the complete add-on area. Use the Scenery Library rather than deleting its folder, restart FSX and let the scenery database rebuild. If the original airport returns, the base installation is intact.
- Re-enable components individually. Packages sometimes separate the airport, regional scenery, object libraries and elevation adjustments. Testing one component at a time identifies which part causes the change.
- Inspect suspected airport BGLs. Searching for the ICAO code helps, but it is not conclusive because many files use unrelated names or contain several airports. Our Airport Design Editor workflow for examining BGL airport records can reveal which ICAO codes a file contains.
- Choose which airport should win. For a detailed airport add-on, retain its facility BGL and disable the older airport record from a regional or traffic package. To restore the stock airport, disable the custom facility, exclusion and associated elevation files.
- Disable rather than delete. Use the package's configuration tool where one exists. Otherwise, after making a backup, changing a known conflicting file's extension from
.bglto.offprevents FSX from loading it. Do not rename a shared object library merely because it sits in the same folder. - Set the final layer order. Put the detailed airport above broad regional, mesh or photographic scenery, then load a fresh flight at the airport and inspect the runways, buildings and elevation.
Never remove a stock APX*.bgl just to repair one airport. A single default APX file can contain records for many airports, so disabling it may make numerous unrelated locations disappear.
What if the add-on physically replaced stock files?
If disabling its Scenery Library entry makes no difference, the installer may have copied files into a shared folder such as Addon Scenery\scenery or placed an elevation adjustment in Scenery\World\scenery. A poorly packaged add-on can also overwrite a same-named stock or third-party file.
Use the add-on's installation record or backup folder to identify exactly what was copied. Restore the original from your own backup; if no backup exists, use Steam's file verification for FSX: Steam Edition or the boxed edition's repair facility where available. Back up other modifications first because a repair can replace altered default files beyond the affected airport.
Can mesh or photoreal scenery remove an FSX airport?
Mesh and photoreal imagery alone should not replace an airport facility record, but a package may include extra flatten, exclusion or airport BGLs that do. Mesh conflicts chiefly affect elevation, while photoreal scenery changes ground imagery and may expose missing autogen or object-placement components.
Detailed airports should normally sit above broad imagery and terrain packages. The same priority principle is covered in our guide to placing FSX photoreal scenery beneath airport layers.