How do I request taxi instructions to the gate in MSFS?

After landing in Microsoft Flight Simulator, clear the runway, open the ATC panel, contact Ground on the listed frequency, and select Request Taxi to Gate or Request Taxi to Parking. Read back the clearance, then follow the assigned taxiways. The request usually stays hidden until your aircraft is off the runway.

How do I request taxi clearance after landing?

The normal sequence is Tower hand-off, Ground contact, gate or parking request, then acknowledgement. Menu wording varies slightly between simulator versions and airports.

1. Vacate the runway fully. Cross the hold-short markings before stopping; ATC may still treat you as runway traffic if part of the aircraft remains beyond them.
2. Open the ATC panel. Use its toolbar icon or your assigned controller shortcut. Our explanation of ATC panels, frequencies and controller hand-offs covers the wider radio workflow.
3. Contact Ground. Acknowledge Tower's instruction to contact Ground, then select the offered Ground frequency. If no hand-off appears, find the airport's Ground frequency in the ATC panel and tune it manually.
4. Request the appropriate destination. Choose Request Taxi to Gate when offered, or Request Taxi to Parking if that is the only available wording. Gate normally means terminal parking; parking may send you to a ramp or remote stand.
5. Acknowledge the clearance. Select the read-back response and note the taxiway sequence, including any instruction to hold short of another runway.
6. Taxi on the cleared route. Follow airport signs, markings and the written ATC transcript rather than heading directly across the apron.

Why is the taxi-to-gate option missing?

The option is most often missing because ATC still considers the aircraft on the active runway or tuned to Tower. Finish any pending radio exchange and move completely beyond the runway hold-short line.

• Wrong controller: Contact Ground rather than Tower, Approach or Centre.
• AI radio assistance: If radio communications are delegated to the AI co-pilot, it may make the request automatically or hide the manual response. Disable that assistance when you want to control ATC yourself.
• No Ground service: Small or uncontrolled airports may have no Ground frequency. In that case, self-announce where the ATC menu allows it and taxi to a suitable parking area without an assigned gate.
• No recognised gate: A terminal may be visible in the scenery while its parking positions are not classified as gates in the airport data. ATC can only assign parking spots it recognises.
• Incomplete ATC exchange: An unacknowledged landing clearance, runway-vacated call or frequency change can block the next set of choices.

Can I choose a specific arrival gate?

Stock ATC generally assigns the stand; it does not provide a dependable menu for choosing any exact gate on arrival. The assignment also depends on how the airport's parking positions are categorised and connected to its taxi network.

If a particular stand matters, use airport charts and taxiway diagrams to locate it, then taxi manually once clear of traffic. Be aware that this may conflict with the simulator's assigned route and prevent the expected parking trigger from completing.

How do I follow the route and finish at the gate?

Use the spoken or written taxiway sequence as the clearance, and treat visual guidance as an aid. For example, follow taxiways in the order ATC gives them and stop at every instructed hold-short point, even if the highlighted route continues across the runway.

The optional ribbon is useful at unfamiliar airports; our guide to turning on and following taxi guidance explains how it relates to the ATC clearance. If the ribbon crosses buildings, misses painted taxiways or ends at the wrong stand, the airport's underlying taxi or parking data is probably inconsistent with its visible scenery.

At the assigned position, stop at the marshaller or stand marker, set the parking brake and shut down as required. A gate assignment does not guarantee an operable boarding bridge: the stand must have a working jetway, and the aircraft door must be positioned within its reach. See our instructions for connecting jetways after parking when the bridge does not move.