Why Don’t All Gates and Stands Match Real-Life Operations?
One of the most common questions we receive after airport releases or redesigns is:
“Why can’t this aircraft use this stand?”
or
“In real life this gate handles larger aircraft, why doesn’t it work in the game?”
The answer is a bit more complicated than it may seem.
Airports Are Much Harder to Recreate Than Aircraft
When creating aircraft, we usually have access to very precise information:
- Official dimensions
- Manufacturer documentation
- Technical drawings
- Blueprints
- Publicly available specifications
This allows us to build aircraft with a very high level of accuracy.
Airports are a completely different story.
Unlike aircraft manufacturers, airports generally do not publish detailed blueprints showing every stand, taxiway clearance, service road, jet bridge position, building offset, and safety zone.
Because of this, our references are typically:
- Jeppesen aviation charts
- Airport diagrams
- Satellite imagery
- Publicly available aerial photography
- Various aviation publications
While these sources are extremely useful, they do not provide the same level of precision as aircraft blueprints.
Real Airports Have More Complexity Than It Appears
A stand is not just a painted rectangle on the ground.
Whether an aircraft can use a stand depends on many factors:
- Wingtip clearance
- Building clearance
- Jet bridge positions
- Taxiway geometry
- Service vehicle access
- Pushback procedures
- Nearby parked aircraft
Many of these details are difficult or impossible to verify accurately from publicly available sources.
As a result, situations can occur where a stand appears large enough on a chart but does not actually work properly once we simulate operations inside the game.
Taxiways Matter Too
The stand itself is only part of the problem.
The aircraft must also be able to safely reach that stand.
A good example is the Antonov An-225.
Many players point out that the An-225 has visited airports such as Zurich in real life.
That is true.
However, when we simulated the operation using our airport model, we discovered that the aircraft would intersect with buildings, taxiway obstacles, or nearby parked aircraft.
While a real airport can make special arrangements for a one-time visit, our game needs a solution that works consistently during normal operations.
For that reason, we sometimes limit the available aircraft categories even if a larger aircraft has visited the airport in reality.
In the case of Zurich, we decided to limit operations to Category F aircraft because that provided a more reliable and realistic experience.
Why We Sometimes Adjust Stand Categories
Our goal is not to perfectly replicate every historical operation.
Our goal is to create an airport that:
- Functions reliably
- Looks believable
- Provides good gameplay
- Avoids aircraft clipping through objects
- Allows realistic taxi operations
Sometimes this requires us to make compromises.
A stand that handles a larger aircraft in reality may be restricted in the game.
Another stand may be expanded beyond what players expect because it better fits the available space and operational flow.
These decisions are not arbitrary. They are usually the result of testing, simulation, and finding the best balance between realism and gameplay.
Realism vs. Playability
World of Airports is a game inspired by real-world aviation.
We always strive for realism wherever possible.
However, there are times when operational reliability and gameplay must take priority over absolute real-world accuracy.
If we discover that an aircraft cannot safely taxi, park, or push back within the airport environment we created, we will adjust the stand assignments accordingly.
The goal is not to recreate every airport exactly as it exists in reality.
The goal is to create the most realistic and enjoyable airport experience possible within the information and tools available to us.
Thank you for your understanding and for continuing to help us improve every airport we build.
Flyboys Games Team