Find legal free AIRAC cycle options for MSFS, FlyByWire A32NX, X-Plane, FSX and P3D, with fixes for old or mismatched navdata.
Yes—some flight simulators and aircraft receive legal AIRAC updates at no extra cost. Use navdata supplied through the simulator, an aircraft developer or a clearly licensed community project. A current commercial cycle copied from another user's installation, a shared archive or an unofficial mirror is not a legal free AIRAC download.
This applies across general civilian flight simulators, including Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024, X-Plane, FSX and Prepar3D. The correct source depends on which database your cockpit avionics actually read.
What does a free AIRAC cycle update?
An AIRAC cycle updates coded navigation information rather than airport scenery or the simulator itself.
AIRAC stands for Aeronautical Information Regulation and Control. Cycles normally become effective every 28 days, although simmers also use AIRAC informally to mean the navdata package associated with a particular cycle.
- Waypoints, radio navaids and airways
- Airport, runway and navigation records
- SIDs, STARs, approaches and transitions
- Procedure constraints and leg coding supported by the avionics
It does not supply terminals, taxiway geometry, terrain, satellite imagery or charts. A new cycle can recognise a renumbered runway while your installed scenery still shows its old number, creating a disagreement rather than fixing the airport visually.
There may also be several databases in one setup. The simulator, aircraft FMC, GPS add-on and external flight planner can each use a different cycle.
Which legal free AIRAC options exist?
Legal no-cost AIRAC options exist, but none is a universal replacement for every simulator and aircraft.
| Source | Choose it when | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Navdata included with official simulator updates | Your aircraft uses the simulator's native navigation database | It may not match the cycle used by an external planner or specialist aircraft |
| Developer-approved aircraft data | The add-on maintains a private FMC or GPS database | The licence and file format are normally restricted to that product |
| Public-authority or community data with explicit reuse rights | Your simulator supports the available coverage and conversion format | Coverage, procedure coding and quality control can vary |
| Clearly licensed legacy freeware packs | You need compatible data for an older simulator or FMC | They are usually several cycles or years behind live operations |
The second one in the table—developer-approved aircraft data—is usually the correct route for a complex add-on that does not read the base simulator database. Do not copy it to another aircraft merely because the folders look similar.
An update included with a paid simulator can be free of additional charge without being free to redistribute. Likewise, publicly accessible source data is not automatically public domain; its reuse terms still apply.
Can you update MSFS AIRAC free of charge?
Microsoft Flight Simulator can receive included navigation-data updates through its official servicing, with no separate AIRAC purchase required for the native database.
This is the first option to use for default avionics and aircraft that read MSFS navdata. Keep the simulator and its official content updated, then check the cycle shown inside the aircraft rather than assuming the world map and FMC use identical data.
A complex airliner may maintain its own database or support an optional licensed replacement. Updating MSFS will not necessarily update that private database, while updating the aircraft package itself does not necessarily install new navdata.
How does this work with the FlyByWire A32NX?
The FlyByWire A32NX normally uses navigation data made available through MSFS, so installing a newer A32NX build does not itself provide a newer AIRAC cycle.
Check the cycle and validity dates shown on the MCDU's aircraft-status or navigation-database page. If they remain old, confirm that MSFS is updated and look for an obsolete or duplicate navdata package in the Community folder. Disable suspect packages one at a time and restart the simulator rather than combining their files.
A route imported from an external planner may still contain a waypoint or procedure from another cycle. In that case the A32NX can be working correctly even though the imported route produces a discontinuity or an unknown waypoint.
Where can you get the latest AIRAC cycle download legally?
There is no single legal latest AIRAC cycle download that works in every flight simulator.
The latest cycle changes every 28 days, and each FMC, GPS or simulator expects its own format. Before using any download, verify that it identifies:
- The four-digit cycle identifier and effective dates
- The supported simulator, aircraft or avionics package
- The data owner or an explicit redistribution licence
- Installation and removal instructions
A file labelled only as “latest AIRAC” is not enough. If it contains worldwide current data but gives no provenance, licence or supported product, do not install it.
Can you give me more legal AIRAC download links?
Extra mirrors are useful only when the distributor has permission to host the files.
Readers sometimes ask “дай еще ссылок”—“give me more links”—after finding one download. We do not provide mirrors of commercial cycles or files extracted from paid products. Our library of clearly packaged freeware simulator add-ons is useful for compatible legacy tools and local updates, but it should not be mistaken for a source of unrestricted current global navdata.
Searching for “AIRAC free” often produces reposts whose file names look genuine. Multiple copies of the same archive do not establish that any of them is authorised.
How do X-Plane, FSX and Prepar3D differ?
Each simulator separates its base navigation data and aircraft-specific databases differently.
X-Plane
X-Plane ships with navigation data and supports compatible replacement data through its Custom Data structure. Many aircraft read that database, but some advanced add-ons maintain separate data or require their own supported format.
Install only a package explicitly prepared for your X-Plane generation and retain the original folder as a backup. Do not merge files from different cycles: a mixed database can be harder to diagnose than an entirely old one.
FSX, Prepar3D and FS2004
In older Microsoft-derived simulators, the world scenery, default GPS and add-on FMC may all rely on different data systems. A global scenery or navaid update does not automatically update the database inside an airliner.
For example, the freeware iFly 747's older aircraft-specific navigation system illustrates why an FMC update must target the aircraft rather than FSX generally. Likewise, this FS2004 FMC utility expects Flight1 ATR-compatible navigation data; an unrelated FSX or X-Plane package will not work simply because it contains AIRAC files.
These are compatibility examples, not claims that their bundled data represents the latest cycle.
How should you install a legal AIRAC update?
Identify the database in use before changing any files.
- Identify the consumer. Determine whether the simulator, FMC, GPS, aircraft plug-in or external planner is reading the route.
- Record the old cycle. Note the cycle identifier and validity dates displayed by the avionics.
- Confirm compatibility and rights. Use only data licensed for that exact simulator or add-on.
- Back up the existing folder. Preserve the complete working database rather than selected files.
- Install one package. Do not merge providers, formats or cycles unless the product documentation explicitly requires it.
- Restart and rebuild if instructed. Some avionics create a cache or index during the next load.
- Verify inside the cockpit. Check the displayed cycle, then load a known SID, airway and approach before planning a long flight.
Matching the planner and cockpit cycle is ideal. If that is impossible, manually review every missing waypoint and procedure instead of accepting an automatically substituted route.
Why does the FMC still show old or missing procedures?
The usual cause is that the update changed one database while the aircraft continued reading another.
The base simulator was updated, but the aircraft was not
The simulator map and built-in ATC can show newer information while a private FMC database remains unchanged. Locate the aircraft's displayed cycle and follow its own documentation.
A duplicate package or stale cache is taking priority
Two navdata packages can conflict through package priority or load order. Remove the older package rather than combining it with the new one, then allow any documented cache to rebuild.
The planner and cockpit use different cycles
This causes unknown waypoints, route discontinuities, missing transitions and procedure names that do not match. The reverse can also happen: a newer cockpit database may disagree with the simulator's map or ATC.
The airport scenery is outdated
Navdata can refer to a new runway number, threshold or procedure that the scenery does not depict. Airport-specific freeware may correct local details; for example, this FSX and Prepar3D airport package includes local procedure data, but those files are not a worldwide AIRAC update.
The avionics cannot interpret the procedure
Some older FMC and GPS implementations cannot process every modern leg type, including certain radius-to-fix or conditional legs. A newer database cannot add capabilities that the avionics software does not support.
Do you actually need the latest AIRAC cycle?
You need the latest licensed cycle when matching live charts, present-day dispatch data or online operations matters; otherwise, consistency is often more useful than absolute recency.
For offline flying, a stable legal cycle that matches the aircraft and planner can work well even if it is old. Historical flying may be more accurate with period-appropriate data rather than modern procedures and runway designations.
Use official simulator updates for native avionics, developer-approved data for aircraft-specific systems, and community or legacy packages only when their redistribution rights and compatibility are clear. Never treat copied commercial navdata as freeware.