Hi everyone,
it has been a little while since the release of update 3.5.0, so I think it is a good time to sit down, look back a bit, and also write about what is happening behind the scenes.
This update was important for us, because it was not only about adding new content. In several areas it also showed the direction in which we want to move World of Airports in the future.
Main focus of 3.5.0: a new airport quality standard, more realistic runway operations, the A330 family, dynamic shadows and the first visible steps toward deeper aircraft customization.
INN Remake
With the latest update, we completely rebuilt Innsbruck Airport.
This was not just a small refresh or a few new details. INN was rebuilt from the ground up by our internal team, and our goal was to set a new visual and functional standard for future airports.
If you remember the old INN and compare it with the new one, I hope you can feel how much work went into it. We spent hundreds of hours on new textures, small details, terrain work, airport objects, atmosphere and general visual polish.
Personally, I have to say that I am really happy with the result. This kind of update gives me a lot of motivation, because it shows what we can achieve when our tools, experience and internal standards move forward.
INN is not only a remake. For us, it is also a benchmark for how future airport updates and new airports should feel.
At the same time, it does not mean that we will forget about the older airports. Similar to aircraft, we want to gradually refresh existing content over time. The next airport in this direction should be PRG, which from our Czech point of view deserves this treatment the most right now.
Landings From Both Directions
One of the biggest gameplay changes at INN is that the runway now works from both directions.
This may sound like a small technical detail, but for gameplay it changes a lot. The airport feels more alive and less predictable, and players need to adapt more to real conditions.
For those who are not sure how it works, when you start the airport, we check the current wind and use it to set the active runway direction.
The landing direction does not change during the active game session. But after restarting the airport or the game, it can change again depending on current weather conditions.
You can see the active landing direction directly in the game by clicking on the weather panel.
Important detail: the runway direction is based on current wind conditions when the airport session starts. It does not randomly change while you are already playing.
This is exactly the type of feature I like. It is simple for players to understand, but it adds a lot of realism and variety.
Future Runway Selection
The next step we would like to add is giving players more control over which runway an aircraft should use for departure or arrival.
This does not mean free selection of any direction. The runway direction will still always depend on current wind conditions. Players will not be able to ignore the wind and freely choose the opposite direction, but they should have more control over runway assignment where the airport layout allows it.
This will work differently from airport to airport.
For example, PRG will still have a limitation where only one of its two runways can be active at the same time.
On the other hand, ZRH will offer completely unique possibilities for runway combinations, which should make it one of the most interesting airports in terms of runway operations and traffic planning.
This is one of the reasons why preparing airports for both-direction operations takes much more time than before. It is not only about the runway itself, but also about taxiway logic, stand routing, arrival paths, departure paths and all the small details that make the airport work correctly.
ZRH Is Next
It is probably not a big secret anymore that the next playable airport will be ZRH.
Interestingly, ZRH is currently ranked 14th in our airport voting on the forum. So while it is not at the very top of the list, it is still clearly one of the airports many players would like to see in the game.
Another important thing about our version of ZRH is that we are not building it only as it looks today.
We are also looking closely at the airport’s near-future development. Zurich Airport is preparing a major redevelopment of its central infrastructure, including a new Dock A, a new tower and related apron/base infrastructure. Since this is one of the most interesting planned airport projects in Europe, we decided to build our ZRH version with this future direction in mind.
So our goal is not only to recreate the current airport layout, but also to create a version of Zurich that reflects where the real airport is heading. It gives us a chance to make ZRH feel fresh, modern and a little bit forward-looking, while still being based on real plans and real airport development.
Even though the original 3D model did not start fully in-house, our internal team has taken it over and brought it up to the new standard we introduced with the INN remake.
This is also why development now takes more time than before. With the new level of detail, future-looking terminal changes and support for landings and takeoffs from both directions, the whole airport process becomes much more demanding.
From the taxiway logic point of view, it almost feels like building two airports at the same time.
As part of our new approach, we also want to understand each airport as much as possible before bringing it into the game. That is why part of our team visited Zurich in person.
Our 3D artist Tomáš, our new airport team member Ruda (who actually flew for the first time in his life), and Honza, who works on aircraft (models, liveries …) and is also a passionate plane spotter, went there to explore the airport, take references and better understand how the place feels in reality.
ZRH is not just another airport. Its runway layout gives us a chance to bring much more interesting runway combinations into gameplay.
For me, this is the correct direction. If we want airports to feel more realistic and more interesting to operate, this is exactly the kind of work we need to do.
A330 Family
Update 3.5.0 also brought the complete A330 family.
This was a very important aircraft release for us, because the A330, especially the NEO version, was one of the most requested aircraft types in the community.
We also managed to add landing gear wheel tilt during landing. It is a small detail, but these are exactly the details that slowly push the whole game closer to the feeling we want.
Because the A330 and A340 share many common elements, the next logical aircraft family coming to the game is the A340.
And I have to say, I am personally looking forward to it a lot. It is a beautiful aircraft, it will include all the features introduced with the A330, and it will also bring one completely new system that is extremely important for the future of the game.
Parametric Custom Liveries
The A340 will be the first aircraft with fully parametric custom liveries.
In the first phase, players should ideally not notice anything too strange. These liveries should behave like the current custom liveries, such as basic, special and similar variants.
But technically, they are something completely different.
Until now, liveries have mostly worked as texture files. Parametric custom liveries work more like a paint system. The aircraft surface can use patterns, colors and placement data instead of one fixed image texture.
In simple words: instead of storing one finished livery image, we store instructions for colors, shapes and placement on the aircraft.
This is one of the most advanced systems we have ever worked on in World of Airports.
Why is this important?
In the first phase, it will help us save storage space. But the real reason is the next step.
In a later phase, players should be able to take selected patterns, place them freely on the aircraft, change their size, rotate them and create their own signature livery.
And of course, the next question is obvious.
What about airline names and logos?
That part will not be visible in the game yet, but thanks to parametric custom liveries, we are now much closer to it. The prototype is already being tested, and when everything works together, it looks really impressive.
This feature has taken a lot of time. It is not only a design challenge, but also a big technical challenge. We need to display hundreds of different customized aircraft in real time, across airports and players, and we still need to keep the game running on mobile devices.
That is not easy, but I believe it will be worth it.
Dynamic Shadows
In update 3.5.0 we also added dynamic shadows.
On paper, this may look like one small graphics option. In reality, it changed the visual feeling of the game quite a lot.
Screenshots suddenly look much more cinematic, aircraft feel more grounded, and airports have more depth.
But of course, nothing like this comes for free. We had to do a lot of work on shader optimization, and even then not every device can handle it comfortably.
That is why dynamic shadows are available as an optional setting in the graphics menu.
Tip: if your device can handle dynamic shadows, try turning them on and taking a few screenshots. The game gets a completely different atmosphere.
Cross-Platform Authentication
With the latest update, we also added cross-platform authentication.
As expected, this caused a lot of extra work for support. Many players had technical issues, and some accounts were linked in the opposite direction than they intended.
This is one of those moments where we clearly see that the feature itself is not enough. We also need to explain it better.
So yes, we need to improve how we communicate this system inside the game and in support materials. It will save stress on both sides.
But I am still glad the system is finally in the game, because for many players it is a very important quality-of-life feature.
Sim Center, UH-1 and Flyboys Trailer
Since the last devblog, a lot has also happened outside the game.
Together with my brother, we finished the reconstruction of our sim center.
We finally managed to bring in a UH-1 helicopter cockpit that had been waiting on the side for a long time. We got it from the German Bundeswehr, and now our full-scale B738 cockpit has a new friend in the form of a real full-scale cockpit of this iconic helicopter.
@Charlie worked hard on it, and the helicopter simulator is already fully functional.
We also moved our podcast equipment into the sim center. The funny part is that even after preparing all of this, we still have not managed to properly record the first episode. Time is our biggest enemy. But I still want to try it, because I think a more technical and personal format could be interesting for some of you.
The sim center reconstruction also started another project, the Flyboys event trailer.
When we moved the UH-1 cockpit into our already small space, we no longer had room for the Cessna 152 cockpit. It had been sitting in the corner for a long time, a bit like Cinderella, still waiting for its chance to become something functional.
The risk that we would have nowhere to put it finally pushed us into an idea we had for years.
To build a trailer with a simulator inside and take it out to meet people.
Somehow, almost miraculously, we managed to put together a team of very skilled and slightly crazy people. Big thanks also to our friends from Sopko Advertising, who helped build an event trailer with really impressive parameters in a very short time.
We took it to its first test event, the airshow in Plasy near Pilsen.
And honestly, we enjoyed it a lot.
I loved the connection of being at an aviation event, watching beautiful aircraft like the P-51 or Bronco, and at the same time sharing the aviation project we currently spend most of our time on: our game.
It was definitely not the last event.
We are preparing for the aviation event in Hradec Králové, where we would be very happy if some of you stopped by, visited us and talked with us about the game.
In the future, we would like to take the event trailer not only around the Czech Republic, but also to other countries. Ideally, it should become the center of our meetups at airports like INN, BRI, PRG, LEJ and others.
If you know about an interesting aviation event in Europe that can be reached from the Czech Republic and where it would make sense for us to meet players, I will be happy for your tips.
And we are also open to fans visiting us directly at our sim center in Klášterec nad Ohří to try our simulators.
Of course, we need to manage all of this carefully. We still need enough time to actually make the game.
What’s Next
The next big goal is to finish parametric custom liveries and then continue with the ability to edit airline logos and names on aircraft.
This is no longer just a distant dream. We are now much closer to a real implementation than ever before.
After ZRH, we plan to release the PRG remake during the summer, together with one new aircraft. And just to avoid confusion, this aircraft is not the B737.
Of course, we are continuously working on the entire 737 family as well, but this is a huge mega-project because of the number of models, variants and liveries involved. We want to do it properly, and that simply takes time.
The next airport after that is not fully decided yet. We already have several candidates in progress, and it will very likely not be a European airport.
Demand System and Cargo
Another very important system we are actively working on is the improved demand system at airports.
This should bring a completely new dimension to route planning and aircraft deployment.
Today, many routes are planned mostly by distance, aircraft availability and player preference. With a better demand system, we want to make the world feel more connected and more meaningful.
It should matter more which airport you are playing, what kind of traffic makes sense there, and what aircraft you decide to use.
This will also open new possibilities for cargo flights.
Cargo should not only be about fixed routes. We want to move toward ad hoc contracts where players transport different types and volumes of goods. That could create much more variety and make cargo gameplay feel more different from passenger operations.
We are also improving the demand system because it is a key step toward one of the most anticipated features in the game …
… Alliances
Alliances went through many design iterations.
The current direction is based on the idea of connecting and maintaining networks of player-created routes.
The goal is not to just create a simple clan system with a chat and a leaderboard. We want alliances to have a real gameplay purpose.
Players should be able to cooperate, create enough demand between playable airports, coordinate routes and gradually build something that feels like a shared aviation network.
We are planning a community hub for alliance coordination, alliance rankings, and gameplay benefits connected to active participation.
At the same time, I want to repeat something important.
Players who prefer to play solo should not be punished. Solo gameplay must stay fully valid. Alliances should add another layer for players who want cooperation, not make the game worse for those who do not.
Handling Equipment Assignment
We already have a working prototype for assigning different types of handling equipment.
Right now we are connecting finished 3D models into the system and building a new UI for controlling it.
This will make handling a bit more complex, but I believe it will be the good kind of complexity.
The goal is not to overwhelm players with too many clicks. The goal is to give ground operations more meaning, more choices and more strategy.
Different aircraft, different stands and different situations should require different solutions. That is where World of Airports can become much deeper without losing its accessibility.
As part of our effort to make the whole game more realistic, part of our team will also spend time next month doing real ground handling at Prague Airport.
And yes, they have already started training with suitcases 
Before we lock this feature completely, we want to collect as many real-world observations as possible and see if they can help us make the handling system even better.
Community Feedback
Many of you probably noticed that almost every set of release notes includes something that came directly from the forum.
That is not a coincidence.
We actively follow both bug reports and feature requests, and we always try to bring at least some community ideas into the game. The forum has become a source of hundreds of great suggestions, and many of them help us shape priorities, improve existing systems or notice problems we might otherwise miss.
So please keep posting your ideas, feedback, reports and discussions. Even when we do not reply to everything, we read much more than it may seem from the outside.
I also want to thank everyone who helps keep this community alive and healthy. Moderators, experienced players, people answering questions, reporting bugs, explaining systems to new players and keeping discussions constructive.
You are helping us not only maintain the community, but also keep the game itself moving forward.
Thank you.
Final Words
I know there is a lot happening at the same time.
New airports, airport remakes, aircraft families, custom liveries, alliances, demand, cargo, handling equipment, meetups, sim center projects and our event trailer.
Sometimes even I feel that there is a lot happening at once. But from my point of view, all of these things are connected by one goal.
To make World of Airports richer, more realistic, more personal and more alive.
I am really excited about where the game is heading.
Kuba
… some of us (incl. me) play the game as a irl simulation, not as a arcade game with player contracts and some fantasy liveries…i love all the points mentioned in the devblog 
exept for the livery customisation and the alliances as that doesnt matter to me…