Learn what GSX Pro adds to Microsoft Flight Simulator, how to run boarding and pushback, use profiles, and fix menu, jetway and alignment faults.
GSX Pro is a paid PC ground-services add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024. It adds animated boarding, baggage, catering, refuelling, marshalling, jetway handling and planned pushback. Install it, start at a parking stand, open GSX from the in-sim toolbar, then request each service in the order your aircraft and turnaround require.
What does GSX Pro do in Microsoft Flight Simulator?
GSX Pro, short for Ground Services X Pro, replaces much of Microsoft Flight Simulator's basic ground handling with a more detailed, configurable turnaround system. It is the modern MSFS product from FSDreamTeam; older GSX editions intended for FSX or Prepar3D should not be copied into MSFS.
- Departure services: passenger boarding, baggage and cargo loading, catering, refuelling, stairs, buses and pushback.
- Arrival services: marshalling or visual docking where configured, passenger deboarding, baggage unloading and follow-me vehicles.
- Airport handling: stand-specific vehicle positions, walk-in gates, jetway operation and optional replacement jetway models at default airports.
- Aircraft handling: configurable passenger doors, cargo doors, service points, engine clearance and nosewheel position.
GSX supplies the ground animation and operating sequence; it does not automatically manage every aircraft system. Payload, fuel and door synchronisation depend on the aircraft's integration. With an unsupported aircraft, GSX may ask you to open a door manually or set the payload through the aircraft's EFB or the simulator.
How do I use GSX Pro step by step?
The reliable method is to prepare the aircraft first, let GSX control one service at a time, and follow its parking-brake and door prompts exactly.
- Install and update GSX Pro. Close Microsoft Flight Simulator, use the official FSDreamTeam installer and let it detect the relevant MSFS installation. Run the updater after major simulator changes rather than reusing files from an older GSX product.
- Configure your scenery. If you use third-party airports, run the installer's configuration scan so those airports are excluded from GSX's optional replacement-jetway package. This prevents duplicate or overlapping jetways.
- Start at a parking stand. Choose a gate or ramp position, not a runway start. Set the parking brake, shut down the engines if appropriate and remove any simulator-generated tug that is already attached.
- Open the GSX panel. Select the GSX icon from the in-sim toolbar and wait while the airport data loads. If the icon is difficult to find or a panel has been unpinned, our explanation of how MSFS toolbar panels and pinning behave covers the simulator-side controls.
- Prepare the aircraft. Set the intended passenger, cargo and fuel figures in the aircraft's own loading system where it has one. Check that GSX has identified the correct aircraft profile and door locations.
- Request the turnaround services. For a departure, a sensible order is deboarding if simulating an inbound sector, followed by catering and refuelling, then boarding and baggage loading. GSX may prevent vehicles from operating together when their routes would conflict. With aircraft-managed fuelling, the tanker can be visual while the actual fuel quantity remains controlled by the EFB.
- Request GSX pushback. Close the doors, confirm boarding has finished and choose the required direction or planned route. Follow the spoken and on-screen instructions for the parking brake and engine start. Do not also request the built-in MSFS tug; our guide to pushback and avoiding competing tugs explains the conflict.
- Use GSX again on arrival. Select the intended stand before reaching the apron if you want a follow-me vehicle or marshaller. Once parked, set the brake, shut down as required and request deboarding and unloading.
Default ATC and GSX are separate systems. You may obtain pushback clearance through ATC, but only GSX should physically control the tug when using GSX pushback.
Do I need a GSX profile?
A GSX profile is not mandatory, but the correct airport and aircraft profiles make the largest difference to service alignment and pushback reliability.
An airport profile defines stand stop positions, pushback routes, vehicle parking, walk-in passenger paths and local equipment. An aircraft profile defines doors, cargo holds, service points and the aircraft's physical geometry.
Airport profiles are commonly installed beneath %APPDATA%\Virtuali\GSX\MSFS, although the supplied profile instructions should take precedence. The profile must match the exact scenery product, not merely the airport's ICAO code. Our detailed instructions for installing and matching GSX profiles to airports and aircraft cover the file placement and selection process.
A mistake we see constantly is leaving an old community profile active after updating or replacing an airport. That stale profile can override GSX's own data and place stairs inside the fuselage or send a tug along the wrong route. Remove the mismatched profile or replace it with one made for the installed scenery version.
Why is GSX Pro not working correctly?
Most GSX faults come from an outdated installation, a blocked Couatl companion process, mismatched profiles or two add-ons trying to control the same ground equipment.
| Symptom | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| GSX toolbar icon is missing | Close the simulator, run the GSX updater and verify that its MSFS packages are enabled. Check whether security software quarantined the Couatl companion component, then restart the simulator. |
| The menu opens, closes or never finishes loading | Couatl may not be running, or GSX may still be processing airport data. Allow the initial load to finish; if it remains stuck, update GSX and check for duplicate airport scenery packages. |
| Two jetways appear at one gate | The third-party airport was not excluded from GSX's replacement-jetway package. Rerun the installer configuration scan after adding or updating scenery. |
| Vehicles stop in the wrong place | The airport or aircraft profile does not match what is loaded. Check the exact scenery variant, stand and aircraft model, then remove any obsolete profile. |
| Boarding waits indefinitely | Read the GSX status prompt and check the required doors, jetway or stairs. Also verify the passenger count in the aircraft's loading system when that aircraft manages its own payload. |
| The tug attaches but will not move | Release the parking brake only when instructed, remove aircraft chocks and disable any other pushback utility. Some aircraft also require their own nosewheel steering or towing state. |
Can GSX Pro be used on Xbox or PlayStation?
GSX Pro cannot run on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 or PS5 Pro because it requires Windows companion software and local add-on package access. It is for the PC editions of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
Is GSX Pro worth using?
GSX Pro makes sense for PC simmers who want complete airliner turnarounds, visible passengers, configurable stands and detailed pushback rather than a single tug command.
It is less compelling if you fly mainly from runways, use simple general-aviation parking or need only basic pushback. Our comparison of full ground-service add-ons and lighter alternatives helps separate those use cases. GSX also demands occasional profile maintenance, especially when airports or aircraft are updated, so its extra detail comes with more setup than the built-in services.