How do I remove unwanted AI traffic in FS2004?

To remove unwanted AI traffic in FS2004, disable the traffic BGL that supplies it, or decompile that BGL and delete only the relevant flight-plan entries. Keep a backup, change one file at a time, and never remove the aircraft folder as a substitute for removing its schedules.

Which AI traffic removal method should I use?

The AI traffic density slider is not a selective removal tool. Lowering it hides flight plans according to their assigned traffic-percentage threshold, so wanted and unwanted operators can disappear together.

How do I disable an entire AI traffic package?

The safest method is to make the package's traffic BGL inactive without deleting it.

1. Close FS2004. Traffic files should not be changed while the simulator is running.
2. Find the supplying BGL. The default file is normally Traffic030528.bgl under FS2004\Scenery\World\scenery. Add-on schedules may be in that folder or another active scenery folder, and their names are not always obvious.
3. Back up the file. Copy it to a holding folder outside every active FS2004 scenery directory.
4. Disable it. Rename the extension from .bgl to something FS2004 will not load, such as .off, or move the file out of the active scenery folder. Make sure Windows is showing file extensions so it does not remain a disguised .bgl.
5. Restart FS2004 and check the airport. Use the same location, date and time because scheduled AI may not be present throughout the day.

If the unwanted aircraft are part of Microsoft's original schedules, follow our safe steps for switching off FS2004's default traffic. When the supplying file is unclear, these methods for identifying and inspecting active AI traffic help narrow it down before anything is moved.

How do I remove one airline or selected flights?

Selective removal requires editing the source flight plans and compiling a replacement BGL.

An airline is not stored as a simple on/off entry. A compiled traffic package contains aircraft references and flight-plan records; the livery, flight number, airports and assigned aircraft must be cross-referenced to identify the correct schedule.

1. Work on a copy. Keep the original BGL untouched outside the simulator's active folders.
2. Use the original source files if supplied. Otherwise, use the Traffic Tools v2.02 compiler and decompiler to extract the aircraft, airport and flight-plan text files.
3. Identify the aircraft reference. In the aircraft source file, match the numbered aircraft entry to the unwanted model or livery's title= reference.
4. Edit the flight plans. Remove every complete flight-plan record using that aircraft reference, or locate individual records by flight number and airport codes. Removing a whole rotation is safer than deleting one leg from its middle.
5. Preserve valid rotations. If retaining part of a schedule, its legs must still form a valid sequence with sensible arrival and departure points and times.
6. Compile a new BGL. Correct every syntax error reported by the compiler rather than forcing a partial result.
7. Install only the revised file. Move or rename the old BGL before activating the replacement. Leaving both files active creates duplicate traffic.

For extensive timetable changes, our guide to building and compiling FS2004 flight plans explains the source-file relationship without requiring the whole package to be removed.

Why does the unwanted traffic still appear?

Persistent AI usually means another active BGL is generating the same aircraft or the object is not scheduled AI at all.

• Duplicate BGL files: Check that the original, backup and newly compiled copies are not all inside active scenery folders.
• Several traffic packages: Two packages may schedule the same airline. Disable suspected files one at a time and restart FS2004 after each change.
• Wrong time or airport: Verify the result under the same conditions used to identify the unwanted flight.
• Static scenery aircraft: An aircraft that remains with AI traffic set to zero may be part of the airport scenery. Traffic Tools cannot remove scenery objects.
• Unchanged file extension: With extensions hidden, a renamed file may still end in .bgl and continue loading.

Should I delete the unwanted AI aircraft folder?

No. Deleting an aircraft folder does not cleanly remove the schedules that reference it and may affect other traffic packages using the same model.

Disable or edit the traffic BGL first. Remove an AI model only after confirming that no active schedule refers to its aircraft title= entry; our explanation of how FS2004 traffic BGLs and aircraft references fit together covers that dependency.