Microsoft and iniBuilds have launched the Airbus A380 for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, bringing one of the most anticipated third-party airliners to the simulator. The aircraft is available now for $74.49 through the Microsoft Flight Simulator Marketplace and will remain exclusive to the Marketplace for the first three months after release. Microsoft is positioning the aircraft as part of its new “Exclusive Series” of premium add-ons.
The A380 has been recreated specifically for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 rather than the previous 2020 release. iniBuilds says the aircraft includes detailed exterior and interior modelling, a fully modelled flight deck and a bespoke flight model built around the real aircraft’s extreme size, inertia and handling characteristics. The developer has also included both major A380 engine options, with simulations of the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 and Engine Alliance GP7200.
Systems modelling extends well beyond basic flight controls. The aircraft features simulated electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, fuel and flight-control systems, along with detailed flight management, navigation, autoflight and aircraft monitoring functionality. Fuel behaviour includes tank management, transfers and refueling, while the aircraft can also simulate icing, failures, degraded navigation and GPS jamming.
IniBuilds has also modelled several less conventional systems that are normally absent from simpler airliner add-ons. Players can use a functional Ram Air Turbine, interact with a cockpit printer and access CPDLC and ACARS functionality for datalink-style operations. Maintenance systems are included as well, allowing aircraft condition and servicing requirements to become part of the simulation rather than resetting everything between flights.
The cabin has received unusual attention for a flight simulator add-on. Potable water and waste are simulated, including consumption and servicing, while the A380’s onboard showers are functional and feature visible steam effects. Interactive cabin elements allow players to explore more of the aircraft beyond the cockpit, and iniBuilds has built an audio package covering the flight deck, cabin, exterior and both supported engine variants.
Two liveries are available at launch: iniBuilds’ own house colors and a clean white aircraft. Additional liveries are planned for a later date. The aircraft also includes extensive animations for doors, landing gear, control surfaces, wipers and other mechanisms, reinforcing iniBuilds’ goal of making the A380 something users can explore as well as fly.
The release expands Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s growing catalogue of highly detailed commercial aircraft. Another recent Marketplace-exclusive aircraft, FlightFX’s Hawker 800XP, also launched through Microsoft’s in-sim store, although the A380 sits at the opposite end of the aviation spectrum as the world’s largest passenger airliner.
The real Airbus A380 entered commercial service in 2007 after making its first flight in 2005. Airbus ultimately produced 254 examples before manufacturing ended in 2021, with the aircraft becoming particularly associated with long-haul hub routes operated by carriers such as Emirates, Singapore Airlines and British Airways. Its full-length double-deck fuselage and four-engine layout distinguish it from every passenger aircraft currently in production.
Microsoft says the simulated version reflects that scale, including a wingspan of 261 feet 8 inches, a maximum takeoff weight of roughly 575 metric tons and a cruising speed of around Mach 0.85. The real aircraft can accommodate as many as 853 passengers in maximum-density configurations, although typical airline layouts are considerably less dense.
The iniBuilds A380 is available now exclusively for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 through the in-game Marketplace at $74.49. Microsoft says the Marketplace exclusivity period lasts for the first three months of the aircraft’s lifetime, implying that other distribution options may become available afterward. iniBuilds has not yet detailed exactly where or when any post-exclusivity version will be sold.
