Test machine specs: MSI X670E, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX, 48gb RAM
Add-ons: FSLTL, GSX Pro, REX AccuSeason (which may misrepresent some colours in certain light conditions)
DETAIL
Please note, I never owned v1; however I was at best lukewarm towards MK’s BIKF v2, which felt a bit rushed (although it’s quite possible the real airport is just as boring, being in a pretty desolate part of the world). But I had wanted Lisbon for a long time as I fly a lot in Iberia — and the only other option is FeelThere — so MK’s seemed the obvious choice.
TL;DR: it’s a LOT better than BIKF! In fact, I think it vies with Malaga and La Guardia as this dev’s best airport.
The texturing is first-class (mostly — more about that later), with the main terminal being beautifully modelled/detailed, both airside and landside. The landside isn’t the absolute best I’ve seen (I’d perhaps like to see a few more static people as there are very few) but it’s very, very good, boasting full custom modelling with the usual assortment of assets such as road signs, shrubbery, streetlights, bus shelters, billboards, vehicles, etc. In fact, the custom roadways extend quite a way out from the terminal area, to encompass a fair bit of the airfield perimeter.
The terminal interior is, again, very good, without being class-leading. The various internal shops and eateries are modelled but they feature bare counters/shelves — however we do get plenty of static people models occupying the gate areas.
The lo-co terminal is equally detailed, certainly on the outside — and while its interior hasn’t quite had the same love as the primary building, some convincing parallax fills the gaps (as it does in many of the airfield’s peripheral areas).
Moving airside (where it matters most for the majority), the fine workmanship continues, with sharp stand/taxiway/runway markings and ground textures that feature particularly realistic weathering and wear-and-tear. The terraforming is excellent, as is the custom clutter that pleasingly resides in every corner of this beautiful airport.
So far, so good. But like every great MSFS airport, it’s not quite perfect — some of the buildings occupying the airport’s industrial estate to the north of the terminal/TAP maintenance area do look a little generic, with texturing that doesn’t match the quality of everything else. This’d be understandable if it weren’t for the fact that similarly outlying areas elsewhere on the field HAVE been given full attention. But let me stress: this is a pretty minor nit-pick and something that certainly doesn’t spoil one’s enjoyment of the scenery. On a positive note, the peripheral detail is plentiful, generally of excellent quality and can be found quite some distance from the areas of primary focus.
Finally, the night-lighting is very good, particularly the abundant neon signage (e.g. TAP hangar, main terminal). Apron floodlighting is decent, emitting just the right amount of light.
PERFORMANCE
The thing that most surprised me is just how well this scenery runs, even with GSX and heavy FSLTL traffic. MK’s own LEMG was the same — the level of optimisation is impressive, especially considering the object pop-in isn’t as prolific as in other highly-detailed sceneries released recently. Granted, LPPT isn’t Europe’s largest airport (due to the city encroaching upon it for decades, it’s actually very compact) but that shouldn’t take anything away from what MK have achieved here. Remember, Lisbon is now quite a dense photogrammetry area, which of course is always a factor in how smoothly scenery runs.
VERDICT
After BIKF v2, my expectations weren’t particularly high. But LPPT has surprised me in a way I never thought it would. Despite a few minor niggles, it’s typical of what we’ve come to expect from a very top-tier airport in the latter half of 2024. It looks the part, and runs well to boot. The AI traffic behaves pretty well, too (e.g. the low-cost carriers are placed at the appropriate terminal).
But the feature that perhaps makes this airport so enjoyable is its surrounding photogrammetry, for which we have Asobo to thank. I’ve always found the PG in Spain and Portugal to be some of the most comprehensive, and the airport’s proximity to the city centre makes for stunning approaches, particularly from the south. There are even some custom POIs in the city that are beautifully lit (and thus very visible) at night.
In summary, MK’s LPPT is one of ‘those’ airports that, for one reason or another, belongs in almost every flight sim enthusiast’s collection. It’s gorgeously modelled, has fabulous surroundings, very few negatives… and performs incredibly fluidly. Sure, it’s not perfect but I can think of very few airports that offer a superior overall package.
IMAGES
I had to include a couple of approach images (last two), which unfortunately don’t really do the scenery justice.
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