Update FSX airport data with AFCAD and scenery BGL files, set the right library priority, and fix duplicate runways, old gates and navdata mismatches.
To update airports in FSX and FSX: Steam Edition for real-world changes, install an FSX-compatible airport scenery or AFCAD/facility BGL, then place its scenery area above the defaults in the Scenery Library. Use Airport Design Editor for your own corrections. Navdata alone will not move runways, taxiways, gates or buildings.
What type of FSX airport update do I need?
FSX keeps an airport's physical layout, visual scenery and navigation information in several separate data sets. The mistake we see most often is treating an AFCAD, full airport scenery and navdata update as interchangeable.
| Real-world change | Update required |
|---|---|
| New or renumbered runway, taxiway, gate, parking stand or radio frequency | Airport facility BGL, commonly called an AFCAD |
| New terminal, control tower, apron textures or surrounding ground detail | Full airport scenery, usually including facility, model and texture files |
| Custom runway, parking, approach or taxi-link correction | An airport edited and compiled with Airport Design Editor |
| New GPS waypoint, airway, procedure or add-on FMC cycle | A compatible navdata update; this does not alter the visible airport |
Despite the name, an AFCAD is not necessarily a file made with the original AFCAD utility. Simmers use the term for an airport facility BGL defining runways, starts, taxi links, parking, communications and sometimes approaches or visual objects. Our library has FSX airport facility corrections for revised runways, gates and frequencies.
If no suitable replacement exists, create one using the step-by-step Airport Design Editor workflow for editing and compiling FSX airports. Editing taxiways and parking is fairly approachable; changing ILS and approach records requires more care because several records must remain aligned.
How do I install an FSX airport data update?
The package's documentation takes priority because some airports include terrain exclusions, object libraries or elevation corrections. For a conventional scenery package, use this method:
- Confirm compatibility. Use a package explicitly made for FSX or stated to support FSX: Steam Edition. Do not assume an airport made for Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane or a later Prepar3D version will work.
- Disable the older replacement. Keep only one principal facility BGL for the airport active. Disable an existing version rather than deleting it until the new airport has been tested.
- Extract the download. Do not run scenery directly from its archive. Preserve the supplied folder structure and read any installation notes.
- Place the scenery in a dedicated folder. A typical structure is
My Airport\scenery, with an optionalMy Airport\texturefolder. If the download contains only a BGL, putting it in its own package folder makes later troubleshooting and removal much easier. - Add the package to the Scenery Library. Select the folder directly containing the
scenerysubfolder, enable it, and place it above default scenery and any older airport package. FSX may also reference scenery stored outside its installation directory, which helps avoid Windows permissions problems. - Follow special elevation instructions. Some packages supply a separate correction intended for
Scenery\World\Scenery. Install that file only where the documentation specifies; moving it into the main airport folder can produce plateaus or sunken runways. - Restart FSX and test the airport. Start a new flight there and inspect the runway numbers, taxiways, parking, frequencies and AI movement. Do not overwrite or remove the simulator's stock scenery BGL files.
Why does the updated FSX airport still look wrong?
Most failed airport updates come from duplicate BGLs, an incorrect folder level or scenery priority rather than a bad airport file.
- The stock layout is unchanged: confirm that the scenery area is enabled and that you selected the folder immediately above
scenery. Move the package above competing regional or airport scenery, then restart FSX. - There are two runways or overlapping terminals: another facility or airport package is active for the same location. Disable older scenery areas one at a time; filenames do not always contain the airport's ICAO code.
- The pavement changed but buildings did not: you probably installed a facility-only AFCAD. It updates airport operations but does not automatically supply a new terminal model or photographic ground textures.
- Buildings are black or missing: the package may require supplied texture files or object libraries. Check that every included component was installed with its original directory structure.
- The airport sits on a plateau or below ground: an airport-elevation correction is missing, duplicated or loaded in the wrong place. Follow the package's elevation instructions rather than changing mesh settings at random.
- FSX crashes near the airport: disable the newest package first. An incompatible BGL, damaged file or missing scenery dependency is more likely than a global simulator fault.
Does updating FSX navdata also update the airport?
No. Navdata updates and airport scenery updates solve different problems. Updating an add-on FMC database will not change FSX's runway surface, taxiways, terminal, parking or ATC airport layout, while an AFCAD will not necessarily update every GPS waypoint or procedure.
For runway renumbering or a moved ILS, both the airport facility data and the relevant navigation records may need matching updates. Our FSX navdata guidance explains the separate databases used by the built-in GPS, Flight Planner, ATC and add-on FMCs.
Airport renames and ICAO changes are particularly awkward because the stock airport can remain in FSX alongside a replacement. A properly constructed package uses exclusions and replacement facility records where possible; merely renaming the downloaded BGL does not change the airport identifier stored inside it.