To explore more of the highest-quality aircraft and scenery available, our Best MSFS 2024 Aircraft Addons guide highlights the most recommended simulator upgrades and pairs naturally with the featured locations in this Microsoft “Handcrafted” Airports in MSFS 2024 overview.
About this guide
Microsoft’s handcrafted airports in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 showcase highly detailed terminals, accurate layouts, and enhanced ground environments designed to deliver a more realistic flying experience. This guide explains what handcrafted airports are, how they differ from default scenery, and what to expect when flying to these premium locations.
If you’ve ever loaded into an airport expecting something special and thought, “This feels fairly ordinary,” you’re not imagining things. Even experienced simmers can find the term confusing, because handcrafted doesn’t mean one single thing, and it certainly doesn’t guarantee a consistent level of detail.
This article exists to clarify what the term means in MSFS 2024 — calmly, without hype, and without turning it into a checklist or a debate.
Quick Answer
A handcrafted airport in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is an airport that has received manual developer attention rather than being created entirely from generic scenery. Handcrafted airports usually feature more accurate layouts, custom buildings and greater realism, but the level of detail can vary quite a lot between locations.
What “handcrafted” means in MSFS 2024
In MSFS 2024, a handcrafted airport has received manual developer attention, rather than being built entirely from procedural or generic assets.
In practical terms, this usually means:
- Custom or semi-custom terminal models
- Manually adjusted airport layouts
- Hand-placed details beyond pure autogen
- A closer match to the real-world footprint
What it does not automatically mean is:
- Payware-level detail
- Perfect accuracy
- Identical quality across all handcrafted airports
Microsoft has stated that MSFS 2024 includes a curated set of handcrafted airports, carried over and upgraded from MSFS 2020, with totals depending on the edition you own. It’s a defined group, not a label applied to every major airport.
Pete’s Take
I think this is where a lot of the confusion starts. The word handcrafted sounds as though every airport should be a showpiece. In reality, I’ve learned to treat it more as a useful guide than a guarantee. Some handcrafted airports are genuinely impressive, while others are simply a better version of default scenery.
Handcrafted does not mean one quality level
This is the point where expectations most often clash with reality.
The word handcrafted sounds like it should imply a single, high standard. In practice, it describes how an airport was created, not how far that work was taken.
Key point: Handcrafted describes how an airport was created, not how detailed it will necessarily be.
Some handcrafted airports feel rich, convincing, and atmospheric. Others represent a more modest improvement over default — better shapes and layout, but still fairly simple up close.
That doesn’t mean something is wrong or mislabeled. It usually reflects:
- When the airport was created
- How much time and budget it received
- Whether it was part of a major world update or base-sim package
Understanding this early avoids a lot of unnecessary disappointment.
Why people often talk past each other about handcrafted airports
When someone says “that airport is handcrafted,” they may be referring to different things:
- Microsoft’s official handcrafted airports are included with the sim
- Airports introduced or upgraded through World or City Updates
- Third-party bespoke airports, either payware or freeware
All of these involve manual design work, but only the first category aligns with how Microsoft uses the term in edition comparisons and official descriptions.
This is why discussions can feel contradictory. Two people can both be correct while talking about different categories.
How to recognise a handcrafted airport in practice
If you want to work out whether an airport in MSFS 2024 is handcrafted without relying on marketing material, there are a few practical clues.
A handcrafted airport will usually show:
- Terminal buildings that don’t rely on repeated generic shapes
- Aprons and taxiways that closely match real-world layouts
- Signage and stand placement that feels intentional
- A stronger sense of local character
Worth Knowing
A handcrafted airport is not automatically the best airport to visit. Some of my favourite destinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator are smaller regional airports surrounded by spectacular scenery. A beautifully modelled terminal is nice, but the approach, the light, the surrounding landscape and the overall atmosphere often matter just as much.
That said, some handcrafted airports are subtle. Not all improvements are decorative, and lighter-touch examples can be easy to miss at first glance.
If an airport feels broadly interchangeable with many others, it may not be handcrafted — or it may be a more restrained example.
Why handcrafted airports can look inconsistent
Another common source of confusion is inconsistency between users.
Two simmers can load into the same airport and come away with noticeably different impressions. Factors can include:
- Streaming behaviour and bandwidth
- Cached scenery data
- Local configuration differences
- The evolving state of MSFS 2024 itself
This doesn’t mean airports change dramatically from one user to another, but it can affect how detailed and textures are presented, particularly after updates.
It’s one reason sweeping claims about quality should always be treated cautiously.
Why the term still matters
Even with all these caveats, handcrafted remains a useful term.
A handcrafted airport is generally:
- More accurate in layout
- More convincing from the air
- Better suited as a destination
- More interesting to explore at ground level
For flight planning, it works best as a strong hint rather than a promise. It suggests an airport is worth a look — and that’s often all you need when choosing where to fly next.
A sensible way to think about handcrafted airports
The most helpful mindset in MSFS 2024 is this:
Handcrafted describes intention, not perfection.
Some airports shine because of lighting, surroundings, or approach paths. Others work better as believable backdrops than close-up showcases.
Neither is wrong. Understanding that difference makes the simulator far more enjoyable.
My Experience
For me, the best airport in MSFS is not always the one with the most detail. Sometimes it is the one that gives me the most enjoyable arrival, the best scenery on approach, or the strongest sense of actually being somewhere.
That is why I try not to judge handcrafted airports purely by close-up terminal detail. If the approach feels believable and the airport fits nicely into the surrounding scenery, that often matters more to me than counting every window, vehicle or sign.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are handcrafted airports included in MSFS 2024?
Yes. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 includes a selection of handcrafted airports, although the exact number depends on which edition of the simulator you own.
Are handcrafted airports better than default airports?
Generally, yes, but not always by a huge margin. Some handcrafted airports are a clear improvement over default scenery, while others are more subtle. It depends on how much manual work was done and how detailed the airport was made.
Do handcrafted airports improve performance?
Not usually. Handcrafted airports are mainly about improving realism, layout accuracy and visual detail. Depending on the airport and your system, they may even be slightly more demanding than a simpler default airport.
Can freeware airports be handcrafted?
Yes. Many freeware developers create airports manually with custom buildings, corrected layouts and extra details. In everyday simming, people may call these handcrafted too, although Microsoft usually uses the term for airports included with the simulator or official packages.
Are all major airports handcrafted in MSFS 2024?
No. Many major airports in MSFS 2024 still use a mixture of generic, procedural and customised scenery. Only selected airports are officially presented as handcrafted.
How do I know if an airport is worth visiting?
The best way is still to fly there and judge it for yourself. Screenshots and lists can help, but the overall experience depends on the approach, surrounding scenery, lighting, weather and the type of flying you enjoy.
Related Articles
- Best MSFS 2024 Aircraft Addons
- Best Free Airports for MSFS 2024
- MSFS 2024 Graphics & Performance Guide
- How to Make MSFS 2024 Look Photorealistic
- Microsoft Flight Simulator FAQ
Closing thought
The word handcrafted in MSFS 2024 isn’t misleading — it’s simply broader than many people expect.
Once it’s understood as a description of process rather than polish, it becomes a genuinely helpful part of flight planning instead of a source of frustration.
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