Your TOP Airport Addons

Discussion Hub Airports
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I’m probably as mad as a wombat for starting this, but I’ve been thinking about it for a while, so let’s see how it goes!

:link: Here is a Google Sheet with some of my favourite airports. MSFS Top Airport Addons - Google Sheets

Let’s all add ours and see what comes out on top!

It’s planned as a compliment to my other 2 Top Charts topics (Aircraft Addons and World Enhancement mods).

I’m going to do it a bit differently to those though. Partly as a test to see if I can streamline my work for the presentation and management of those others but also as I think it’s hard to RANK your favourites, I simply want a list of 5 or more that you like the most.

Another important difference is that I won’t be REMOVING votes so there is no need for you to replace a favourite with another. You can just submit more airports at a later time and I will add them to the list.

I will give each a single vote and keep the Google Sheet constantly updated. No weekly updates, this will be a LIVE ranking and after each new entry update I will re-sort the table so they are in order of total votes.

:information_source: I will need the following information for each Airport please:

  • Airport full name
  • ICAO Code
  • Country
  • Developer
  • Freeware or Payware
  • Link to download it

:warning: We’d greatly appreciate a short description of why you picked each too please!

So to kick things off here are 11 of my picks (showing the format of data I need as an example - feel free to copy this layout).

Duxford // EGSU // UK // ChicoMick // Free

Download: EGSU Duxford Airfield COMPLETE EDITION for Microsoft Flight Simulator | MSFS

Probably the best detailed freeware I’ve seen. Very accurate to the site (I’ve been there!) and steeped in history. Great for the warbirds and biplanes! Has an optional air show addition adding crowds and such. One grass and one tarmac strip. Top quality!

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Buochs // LSZC // Switzerland // FlyLogic Software // Payware

Download: FlyLogic - Airport Buochs MSFS | Aerosoft Shop

Brilliant details with loads of nice ramp parking places. It’s the Pilatus HQ too. Amazing scenery around here (like, totally and utterly stunning!!!) and plenty of other airports nearby to do some practicing whilst taking in the most amazing picturesque landscapes.

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Plymouth // EGHD // UK // RealVFR // Payware

Download: Plymouth Scenery For Flight Simulator

My local airport. Closed in real life but this re-activates it. This pack comes with about 40 square miles of scenery improvements (including greatly optimized PG for the city, custom buildings, improved ground textures and water masks) and a second added “new” grass strip which is also really well done, with an interesting short field on a hill. Quite tricky!

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Catalina // KAVX // USA // Orbx // Payware

Download: KAVX Catalina Airport - Microsoft Flight Simulator - Orbx

I love flying around the island. Short trip over the water to California but the island has some awesome custom buildings and the airport is dense with details. There is also a helipad with not much room to spare. Good fun to fly around and the approach from either side is relatively easy but unique looking.

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RAF Valley // EGOV // UK // skell300 // Free

Download: EGOV RAF Valley custom built for Microsoft Flight Simulator | MSFS

The classic base to go doing the Mach Loop. This freeware is very nicely done. Also I fly from here a lot just to go around the Lake District and rest of Wales / Midlands etc (beautiful rolling hills).

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Uncle Bob’s Farm // PZ21 // Jamaica // Photosbykev // Free

Download: Uncle Bobs Farm, Jamaica (PZ21) for Microsoft Flight Simulator | MSFS

Super challenging bush strip with trees tightly all around. Even taking off is quite hard unless you got a powerful STOL plane. A GA plane can struggle to get up or down but fun trying! The scenery has some really cute touches and it’s just a unique and “homely” kind of place!!

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Notodden // ENNO // Norway // Orbx // Payware

Download: ENNO Notodden Airport - Microsoft Flight Simulator - Orbx

Very well modelled hangars and ground details. Unique feature of a road running through the runway that can have traffic crossing so you can’t use all the length of the runway (it is long though) but it’s a great place to go exploring Norway from. Beautiful landscapes in every direction. Also has some extra POI’s and customs buildings nearby.

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Gustaf III (St Barts) // TFFJ // Saint Barthélemy // Superspud // Free

Download: TFFJ - St Barthelemy/ Gustaf III Airport - Upgrade for Microsoft Flight Simulator | MSFS

The lay of the land here never gets boring. Taking off towards the sea and distant mountain is one of the most beautiful views in MSFS. Landing from that side is quite easy but you can challenge yourself to come in over the hill from the other side. Fun! The airport details added by this free upgrade are fantastic. Top work by Superspud!

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Meribel // LFKX // France // Orbx // Payware

Download: MSFS Marketplace

I like going between here and Courchevel around the other side of the same mountain (LFLJ - nice Asobo default scenery). Both very challenging landings but LFLJ more so! The whole area is beautiful to fly around with some amazing valleys to discover.

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Luton // EGGW // UK // UK2000 Scenery // Payware

Download: MSFS Marketplace

My only big commercial airport on the list. I don’t really do Airliners but I know Luton airport very well as fly from there often and this scenery is very accurate indeed. It’s near my parents house (they live on the usual landing flightpath) and where I used to live (obviously) so I can explore that area from here.

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Locher // LOCH // Italy // Beautiful Model of the World // Free

Download: FREE – Locher Sarentino Airfield [LOCH] – BEAUTIFUL MODEL of the WORLD

An interestingly located grass strip. Very nice approach in a deep narrow valley with lots of overhead power cables to avoid on the way in or out means you can never relax even though the scenery is so gorgeous. Bolzano airport nearby is also very well done and the heart of the Alps is the other way, so plenty of eye candy in every direction! Great little addon - don’t think you will find another airfield with even close to similar characteristics!?

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That’s it from me for now. There are lots I’ve forgotten. But that’s why I think we should not remove votes within these charts. These locations will forever be good!!

Note that some of the Payware is available from multiple retailers and/or the MS Marketplace. I guess you only need to give a link to the one where you purchased it. It’s up to users to do some research if they are interested in buying it themselves!

:link: Here is another link to the current Chart: MSFS Top Airport Addons - Google Sheets

So dive in and show us your best locations to fly from and to… and tell us WHY!

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Teterboro // KTEB // United States // Dreamflight Studios // Payware

Download (It’s also on the Marketplace): simMarket: TETERBORO AIRPORT KTEB MSFS

I love it for the ground clutter. You need to be of the school of thought that static aircraft are okay at the airport because there are a lot at this airport! I know that is not everybody’s cup o’ tea, so there’s your fair warning. But for me, it’s the huge amount of static aircraft that makes the airport come alive in a way that I haven’t seen in other airports. It’s also the best option for those who want to fly around New York City, for the moment (until Drzewiecki Design come out with their KEWR at the end of the year).

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Las Vegas // KLAS // United States // FlyTampa // Payware

Download (It’s also on the Marketplace): https://www.flytampa.org/order.html

It’s inevitable that someone’s going to add this to their list, so we might as well do that now. I care less for the airport, itself, than the eye-popping, jaw-dropping spectacle that is the included Las Vegas Strip and beyond. There’s even a gas station modeled on approach because, well, you’re going to fly over it and you’re going to see it. The airport, itself, also has beautifully-modeled interiors.

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Reagan National // KDCA // United States // Drzewiecki Design // Payware

Download (it’s also on the Marketplace): simMarket: KDCA WASHINGTON NATIONAL MSFS

I don’t know if you could get through a favorite airports list without something from Drzewiecki Design. My reason for loving this airport is the photorealistic interiors. I think it would be easy to take the drone into the terminal and snap a screenshot that could fool someone into thinking it was a photo. It also has an operating Metro train that goes past it because there actually is a Metro stop at the airport with direct access to the terminal. In my opinion, the river visual approach for runway 19 is one of the most beautiful approaches in the United States, and sure enough, the airport fits perfectly into the company’s Washington Landmarks scenery!

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Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial // PABR // United States // Sergio del Rosso // Freeware

Download: Barrow Utqiagvik Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport (USA Alaska) v1.5 » Microsoft Flight Simulator

Last one in the United States. Sergio authored the 8th most-downloaded airport on Flightsim.to. This one is not it. (That one is gorgeous, too, and if you look around the forums, you will see rave reviews for that airport, too.) But with over 10k downloads, this one is nothing to sneeze at, either. The reason this airport is so special to me is because I’m very lucky to have been there, myself. It’s in a corner of the world where no roads connect it to the outside world. If you buy a car, you have to either wait until winter and drive it across more than 300 km of permafrost from Prudhoe Bay, or have it shipped on the one ship a year that also brings the area’s gasoline every year (I was told that gas prices change only once a year, based on whatever gas cost for that one shipment). Unfortunately, I have no pictures from the airport, but it is as I remember it. It’s also lovingly done with all of the ground clutter that I love that makes it pop. This place is unreal and surreal, and I consider it a privilege to have spent a few days there. Sergio, if you see this, thank you!

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Iloilo // RPVI // Philippines // TurtleTank1997 and kml921 // Freeware

Download: Iloilo International Airport - RPVI » Microsoft Flight Simulator

This place has special meaning to me that I don’t feel comfortable getting into in the forums. I’m sure few people have heard of it, and I was shocked when a search in the forums revealed six results: I was expecting zero! Everyone knows Manila. Maybe a handful of people know Cebu, as it’s a hub for the Philippines’ second-largest airline. Iloilo’s not in the list of top ten largest cities. It’s not even in the top 20! But it’s the 7th-busiest airport in the Philippines by passenger traffic and only one of two cities to have a Marriott hotel (and a gorgeous one at that). The airport used to be right in the center of town. But, it outgrew itself when the city invested an enormous amount of money into a modernization effort, and a new airport was built far outside of town, as is the pattern with most new airports today. The new airport terminal is said to be modeled after Hong Kong’s famous terminal, although on a much smaller scale. This airport is an extraordinary collaboration from two of the biggest Philippine airport producers for flightsim.to. The terminal is as I remember it on both the airside and the landside. It’s even detailed down to a several-km fenced-in roadway that leads up to the airport. This airport is also on the same island that hosts the nation’s most popular resort town, Boracay (although Boracay has its own airport).

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Mataveri / Isla de Pascua // SCIP // Chile // Simulación Extrema // Payware

Download (it’s also in the Marketplace): simMarket: MATAVERI INTL AIRPORT SCIP - MSFS

Easter Island, home of the famous Moai statues. This is another rare place in the world that I feel very privileged to have visited in real life. I visited there pre-pandemic, and the airport had one to two flights from mainland Chile only per day, either a 777 or a 787. Imagine an airport so remote that its nearest neighbor, Pitcairn Island, is over 2000 km away. When you fly there from South America, there are no alternate airports: When you get past the halfway point (halfway by time, not by distance), you are committed to landing at that airport. The tower and terminal look true to life and evoke the same sense of excitement I had when I visited there. I think this is an above-average airport, but what lands it on this list for me is the fact that they also modeled the many Moai statues on the island, something that I think MSFS is sorely missing right now. So your journey around this island can now include these manmade wonders!

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Lviv Danylo Halytskyi // UKLL // Ukraine // Pyreegue Dev Co. // Payware

Download (it’s also in the Marketplace): simMarket: LVIV INTL AIRPORT MSFS

I don’t think any list would be complete without Pyreegue in it, too. Based in Ukraine, they actually have three Ukrainian airports. They are all beautiful, but this one is my favorite. I can’t get over the level of detail of the new terminal A! Also, this is the second of two airports I know that have a modeled gas station in it. :grin:

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This will be another interesting topic! :slightly_smiling_face:

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Athens // LGAV // Greece // FlyTampa // Payware

Download: LGAV Athens International Airport - Microsoft Flight Simulator - Orbx

Very detailed scenery, and nice place to go. The approach is so beautiful it’s a real joy to get there anytime.

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Florence // LIRQ // Italy // Gaya // Payware

Download: LIRQ Florence Airport - Microsoft Flight Simulator - Orbx

I love Gaya’s work, always detailed and wonderful to look at. This small airport is really nice and the short runway is fun to land at with a 737 and equivalent.

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Vienna // LOWW // Austria // Gaya // Payware

Download: https://orbxdirect.com/product/gaya-loww-msfs

Reasonably sized airport, good-looking, I’m a Gaya’s fan.

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Wellington // NZWN // New Zealand // Flightbeam // Payware

Download: Flightbeam – NZWN Wellington Intl. MSFS

Maybe the most beautiful airport I own: insane level of details, the surroundings are great, and the approach is wonderful.

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Brussels // EBBR // Belgium // Aerosoft // Payware

Download: EBBR Brussels Airport - Microsoft Flight Simulator - Orbx

Aerosoft airports are often a bit overrated, but this one is really worth it, huge, detailed, lots of animated elements inside (it’s great to see people moving in the terminals).

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Innsbruck // LOWI // Austria // Orbx // Payware

Download: LOWI Innsbruck Airport - Microsoft Flight Simulator - Orbx

As a LOWI fan, couldn’t hold on this one. A lot of details for the airport and it’s surroundings.

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I’ll add my ones later on. But as a short answer in the interim, I would say anything by Pyreegue is more than worth the outlay. Fantastic attention to detail, and they crucially seem to have mastered the art of optimising the scenery so it has little to no effect on framerates.

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I’ve been thinking about getting Wellington, or Auckland, for a while. NZA Simulations do some great stuff as well as Flightbeam, and I really like flying around New Zealand, it’s beautiful. I often fly across the sea from Lord Howe Island, another great bit of scenery.

Edit; just picked up Wellington. It’s fantastic

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@N316TS @LeDrss Thanks for the first entries guys! Definitely going to check some of those out! The Doc is updated now, but no duplicates yet hehe :slight_smile:

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Yeah I got Edinburgh and the detail is on another level entirely. I see ALL their work is of similar standard. And indeed the performance impact considering the poly count on show is incredible. However, I don’t really feel that having SO MUCH internal detail is so worth it. I had a “walk around” once, and doubt I will again! Still nice to know it’s there. I suppose :smiley:

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A couple that I can think of, off the top of my head, that I really like;

Munich/EDDM/Germany/Simwings/Payware

Aesthetically, it’s not the most beautiful in the world. But Simwings are exceptionally good at what they do. It’s a vast airport, and it’s been modelled exceptionally well here. And Munich is special to me, it’s one of my favourite places.

Download; https://www.aerosoft.com/en/microsoft-flight-simulator/msfs-sceneries/3253/sim-wings-munich

Lanzarote/GCRR/Spain/Justflight/Payware

Another one I like, for personal reasons as much as quality. It’s a great airport, lovely approach, the weather is consistently great, and the airport has been really well modelled.

Download; Just Flight - GCRR - Lanzarote Airport

Will add more later.

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The Belfast one they’ve recently released is just a work of art.

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A few more from me…

GotGravel STOL Academy, Squamish // CYSE // Canada // Photosbykev // Free

Download: https://flightsim.to/file/16963/the-gotgravel-stol-academy-at-squamish-bc-cyse

Clearly a lot of thought went into picking this spot as a good place for STOL activities. A good range of environments within easy reach from flats to valleys to snow covered peaks and the city of Vancouver not too far away. Some cool details for the main hangar areas and apparently 40 “unmarked” STOL landing sites but I’ve yet to find any lol. I have a PLN file to help me now but not got around to it yet.

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Johnson Creek // 3U2 // USA // Creative Mesh // Payware

Download: MSFS Marketplace

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Thomas Creek // 2U8 // USA // Creative Mesh // Payware

Download: MSFS Marketplace

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Mahoney Creek / Cougar Ranch (D47) // 0U3 // USA // Creative Mesh // Payware

Download: MSFS Marketplace

A nice set of 4 fields with some OK detailing but the locations and approaches are awesome which puts them on my list.

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Doc updated with these and Plucky’s :wink:

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I concur, regarding Thomas Creek. It’s really good. Quite a challenge too as it’s in the middle of a steep valley, if memory serves me right. Although I may be thinking about Johnson Creek :rofl:

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Yep that’s the one(s)

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Many of my favs are already mentioned above and I feel like we have many great European airports so I won’t repeat any selections there (EGAA, EGPH, EBBR, EDDK, LGAV are prob. my top 5). I wish there were more truly great airports in:
Japan (except for Narita, Japan is lacking top tier airports)
California (where I live, although we might finally get a great one with iniBuilds KLAX coming soon)

Anyway, the place I fly the most outside Europe is New Zealand. I never tire of the scenery and NZWN (my fav airport there for airlines) really completed the puzzle for me as I’ve installed every payware (and freeware) airport in NZ. So to compliment the list…

All from NZA simulations. Download: Shop - NZA Simulations

Nelson // NZNS // NZ // NZA Simulations // Payware

One of my first payware airports (back on xbox days) and still a fav. The airport is small but architecturally interesting and wonderfully modeled inside and out. Plus all of the surrounding detail and Air New Zealand planes (my fav livery) scattered about. Until we get a Dash-8, I do fictional airline ops out of NZNS with 737-600 and Bae 146-300 (both have classic ANZ liveries) or just GA flying.

Mt Cook Region // NZMC // NZ // NZA Simulations // Payware

One of the most beautiful areas in the world and this adds not only a few small airports (with amazing detail inside terminals and hangars) but small huts, etc. scattered about to visit. Take your time to wander around with the drone camera, there’s a lot there.

Varies // NZ // NZA Simulations // Freeware
Some you download direct from NZA and some from flightsim.to. They are all free and vary in size but rival many payware airports in quality.

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Waiting for a good one of these myself. I am looking forward to the Milviz ATR, though. That should be good.

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Please do repeat them. I want to count votes so the list will filter to popular ones being at the top eventually. Is it those you mentioned? I only see LGAV already listed.

If you want, just write the ICAO’s without a description unless you want to. Or don’t mention them. Up to you.

But just to reiterate for everyone:
I totally do want repeats as that is semi-the-point of the list.

I guess when the thread gets longer we will get more repeats via new posts as nobody will cross check all previous posts, so whatever :slight_smile:

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Also not getting this? “Varies” is the name of an airport with a short ICAO code? Or you mean “all the others”?

And I don’t see your favourite NZWN in your list below?! You want me to do the hard work and research it for you, huh?! :stuck_out_tongue:

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Sorry for not formatting, but my top-used addon airport has to be the TCNM/TFFG package from Airworthy Designs. I got mine from the Marketplace, but you can find it on other payware sites as well. Not only is the airport well-done, but the world famous Maho Beach and Sunset Bar and Grill are also highly detailed.

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Sorry, I just meant really all of the NZA freeware airports. Perhaps not worth adding to the list as I can’t really name a specific one I’d put on my favs. I don’t have time right now to do full format for others so I’ll do brief:

NZWN - While I like NZAA, this takes it to another level and is probably my fav. place to land an airline. I like these smaller airports where it’s so small you don’t need to look at taxi map to find your gate.

EGAA/EGPH (Pyreegue) - I put this as a pair because I often fly between the 2 for short airline ops. Both have the same features I love - smaller airport, great detail inside and out. EGPH has probably the nicest tower (esp. at night) I’ve seen. I love EGAA as well for airlines (and dev. even has an official GSX profile that works perfectly).

EBBR/EDDK (Aerosoft) - I pair these together as well as they are perfect short airline flight. Both feature their custom VGDS and have detailed interiors you can see from the gate with people moving, plus full details throughout the entire airport grounds.

LGAV (FlyTampa) - Moving elements (flags, people) really add to a great airport with full detail including the Ikea! I hope MS does a world update for Greece and then I’d fly there more.

KLAS (FlyTampe) - It’s the Las Vegas scenery that really puts this over the top. Coming into an approach to 8L/8R at night/dusk with the strip lit up is really something. Just flying down the strip in a GA plane at night is incredible.

Sorry don’t have time for better formatting at the moment. :slight_smile:

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No problem I’ll take it from there, thanks a lot!! :slight_smile:

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I bought LESU in Spain after the release of the world update and I make it my base considering I am from the Uk - it’s a quality updated

1 Like