Learn how to use the Airbus A320neo MCDU in MSFS 2020: enter routes, set INIT and PERF data, fix discontinuities and make managed NAV work.
To use the Airbus A320neo MCDU in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, power the aircraft, create or import a route, enter departure and arrival procedures, resolve unwanted route discontinuities, add weight and fuel data, then complete the PERF pages. Finally, verify the route on the Navigation Display before departure.
What does the A320neo MCDU control?
The Multipurpose Control and Display Unit is the cockpit interface to the A320's flight-management system. It stores the route, performance data, radio-navigation information and vertical predictions used by the flight directors and managed autopilot modes.
The MCDU does not fly the aircraft by itself. The Flight Control Unit (FCU) selects or manages heading, speed and altitude, while the Primary Flight Display's Flight Mode Annunciator confirms what the aircraft is actually doing. Our explanation of the A320 controls and flight displays covers that relationship in more detail.
Entries appear in the scratchpad along the bottom of the MCDU screen. Type a value with the keypad, then press the line-select key beside the required field. Use CLR to correct scratchpad entries or remove eligible flight-plan items. When a change creates a temporary flight plan, select INSERT to accept it or ERASE to reject it.
Which MSFS 2020 A320neo are you using?
The available pages and automation depend on the exact A320 installed, so check its full name in the aircraft selector before following any procedure.
| Aircraft type | What to expect from the MCDU |
|---|---|
| Original stock A320neo | A simplified implementation. Some pages, calculations and route-leg types are limited, and a World Map flight plan may be the easiest starting point. |
| A320neo V2 or a system-heavy add-on | Broader flight-management functions, usually tied to the aircraft's own tablet, payload, fuel and flight-plan import systems. |
A procedure that works in one version may produce a missing page or different prompt in another. That is normally an aircraft implementation difference, not an MCDU entry error.
How do I enter an A320neo flight plan in the MCDU?
Power and prepare the aircraft. Switch on the batteries and connect external power or start the APU as appropriate. Set the inertial-reference selectors to NAV where the aircraft models alignment. If starting at a parking stand, follow our cold-and-dark aircraft power-up procedure before programming the route.
Choose one route source. Either prepare the route on the MSFS World Map or enter it manually. Imported plans still need checking; mixing an imported route with extensive manual edits can create duplicate waypoints, unexpected direct legs or mismatched procedures.
Complete INIT A. Press INIT and enter the origin and destination ICAO codes in the FROM/TO field, such as an airport pair separated by a slash. Add the flight number if required, a suitable cost index and the planned cruise level. Use an INIT request only if your aircraft version explicitly supports one.
Select the departure. Open F-PLN, select the origin airport and choose DEPARTURE. Pick the runway, SID and transition matching the weather or ATC clearance, then insert the temporary plan. A runway and SID chosen independently can produce an invalid or awkward first leg.
Add the en-route legs. Enter direct waypoints and airways using the flight-plan or lateral-revision pages provided by the aircraft. Check each identifier carefully because several fixes can share the same name; use the location or coordinates offered by the MCDU to select the correct one.
Select the arrival and approach. Choose the destination airport on the F-PLN page, then select the arrival runway, approach, STAR and transition. Insert the change and look for duplicated fixes where the STAR joins the approach.
Review every leg. Scroll through the entire flight plan. Check for loops, legs leading back to a previous fix, the wrong runway, unexpected MANUAL segments and F-PLN DISCONTINUITY messages. Do not erase a discontinuity until you understand why it is there.
Enter weight and fuel data. On INIT B or the equivalent aircraft page, enter zero-fuel weight and centre of gravity, plus block fuel. These figures must agree with the simulator's Weight and Balance screen or the aircraft's loading tablet. Use the units displayed by that particular aircraft.
Complete PERF TAKEOFF. Confirm the runway, flap setting and stabiliser trim, then enter valid V1, VR and V2 speeds. Add a calculated FLEX temperature only when the aircraft's performance tool provides one; otherwise use take-off/go-around thrust rather than inventing a FLEX value.
Check the route on the Navigation Display. Select PLAN mode, increase or reduce the map range and step through the flight plan. The displayed line should follow the intended departure, en-route track and arrival without unexplained breaks or reversals.
Can the MSFS World Map fill the MCDU automatically?
The World Map can preload a route into the stock A320neo, but it should be treated as a draft rather than a completed MCDU setup. Aircraft variants and add-ons may use their own import process, and imported plans can handle runways, approaches or custom waypoints differently.
Starting from a parking position normally leaves the aircraft cold and dark; starting on a runway may load it already running and partly configured. In either case, verify INIT, F-PLN and PERF. World Map routing does not guarantee correct weights, take-off speeds, trim or approach weather.
Should I clear every F-PLN discontinuity?
No. Clear a discontinuity only when the route should continue directly from the preceding leg to the following waypoint.
With the scratchpad clear, select CLR and then the line-select key beside the unwanted discontinuity. Inspect the resulting temporary plan before inserting it. If removing the break creates a sharp turn, a route reversal or a line across the airport, erase the change and review the selected SID, STAR and transition.
A discontinuity after a vector or MANUAL leg can be intentional because ATC is expected to provide headings before clearing the aircraft to the next fix. Without ATC vectors, use DIR TO at the appropriate time rather than joining distant waypoints blindly.
Why will the autopilot not follow the MCDU route?
The autopilot follows the route only when a valid leg is active and managed NAV is armed or engaged. Check the Flight Mode Annunciator on the Primary Flight Display; the FCU setting alone does not prove that NAV has captured.
- HDG is selected: Airbus logic normally uses a push of the heading control for managed NAV and a pull for selected heading, although the exact mouse interaction depends on the cockpit-control setting.
- The wrong leg is active: use DIR TO to select a sensible waypoint ahead, inspect the temporary path and insert it.
- A discontinuity blocks sequencing: resolve it only if the next leg should be connected directly.
- The aircraft is too far from the route: use selected heading to establish an intercept, then arm managed NAV.
- The runway or SID is wrong: reselect the departure and confirm the first waypoint on both the MCDU and Navigation Display.
- Position alignment is incomplete: system-heavy A320 versions may not provide valid navigation guidance until their inertial-reference system has aligned.
Managed climb and descent also require an appropriate altitude to be set on the FCU; the vertical profile cannot override an altitude constraint imposed by the pilot. Our complete A320 flight workflow explains how the MCDU plan connects to managed climb, cruise and descent.
What should I enter on the PERF APPR page?
Before descent, enter the destination QNH, temperature, wind, transition level and the correct decision height or minimum descent altitude. Confirm the landing configuration and review the calculated approach speed, applying any operational wind correction supported by the aircraft rather than guessing a number.
Loading an ILS into the MCDU does not automatically capture it. The correct frequency and course must be available, the aircraft must intercept from suitable geometry, and APPR mode must be armed at the right stage. See our practical guide to setting up and flying an A320 ILS approach for the remaining cockpit actions.