Learn when MSFS ATC needs a filed flight plan, when VFR works without one, and how to make IFR routes appear in the ATC menu.
No. Microsoft Flight Simulator’s built-in ATC lets you request taxi, depart VFR and use tower services without filing a flight plan. A plan recognised by the simulator is required when you want an IFR clearance and route guidance; entering a route only in the aircraft’s GPS or FMS may not file it with ATC.
This applies to the built-in ATC systems in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Filing inside the simulator does not send anything to real air traffic control.
When does MSFS ATC require a flight plan?
MSFS ATC requires a filed or otherwise recognised plan when you ask it to handle the flight as IFR. The plan tells ATC your departure, destination, route, cruising altitude and intended approach environment.
| Type of flight | Flight plan needed? | What built-in ATC provides |
|---|---|---|
| Local VFR flight | No | Ground, taxi, tower and basic airport radio services where available |
| VFR cross-country | Optional | Airport services and, where offered in the ATC menu, flight-following-style contact |
| IFR flight | Yes | IFR clearance, altitude and route instructions, hand-offs and approach guidance |
A flight plan and an ATC clearance are not the same thing. Filing gives ATC the route; the clearance authorises you to fly it under IFR. Our broader guide explains the normal radio sequence from clearance to landing.
How do I file an IFR flight plan with MSFS ATC?
- Choose IFR rather than VFR. Setting an IFR route is what makes the simulator prepare an IFR clearance.
- Create the complete route. Include the departure, destination, cruise altitude and any required procedures. See our guide to building a route with the MSFS flight planner.
- File or send the route to ATC. In MSFS 2020 this is normally established through the pre-flight World Map. MSFS 2024 uses its flight-planning and EFB tools; use the option that files the plan with ATC, not only the one that transfers it to the aircraft.
- Start from parking for the full procedure. Beginning at a gate or stand lets you request clearance before engine start and taxi. Starting on the runway or airborne can skip parts of the ATC sequence.
- Check the ATC menu. An option to request or acknowledge IFR clearance indicates that ATC has received the plan. If only VFR choices appear, the route probably was not filed as IFR.
Routes made with an external planning tool have the same requirement. Importing a route into the aircraft and filing it with built-in ATC can be separate actions; our SimBrief-to-MSFS flight-plan instructions cover that workflow.
Why does ATC ignore the route in my GPS or FMS?
ATC ignores an avionics-only route because the aircraft’s navigation system and the simulator’s ATC system do not always share the same flight-plan data.
- The route was entered manually into the GPS or FMS but never filed with ATC.
- The pre-flight plan was set to VFR rather than IFR.
- The route was changed in the cockpit after ATC received the original version.
- The flight began on the runway or in the air, bypassing the normal clearance stage.
- The departure airport is uncontrolled, so no ground or tower service is available even though the route exists.
If you change the route before departure, file it again rather than assuming ATC has synchronised automatically. If a correctly filed plan still produces no radio options or responses, work through the common MSFS ATC failure checks.
Does an MSFS plan count for online or add-on ATC?
No. A plan filed with Microsoft Flight Simulator’s built-in ATC should not be assumed to exist in an online network or third-party ATC program. Those systems may require a separate filing step or their own route import, even when the same plan is already loaded in the aircraft.