iniBuilds has announced its next destination for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, one of the world’s northernmost airports, Svalbard Airport, Longyear (ENSB). The developer revealed the project this week on its community forum, announcing that the scenery will be available soon.
Gateway to the Arctic
Located on the island of Spitsbergen, Svalbard Airport lies less than 1,000 kilometres from the North Pole and is the world’s northernmost airport with scheduled public flights. Opened in 1975 and built entirely on permafrost, the airport features a single asphalt runway, 10/28, measuring 2,477 metres (8,127 feet) in length. Winters are long and severe, with average temperatures hovering around −6°C and plunging below −20°C during the darkest months, shaping every aspect of airport operations.
ENSB serves as the main gateway to Norway’s Arctic territories, linking the settlement of Longyearbyen with Oslo (ENGM) and Tromsø (ENTC) through regular SAS and Norwegian flights. Beyond passenger traffic, it supports research teams, mining operations, and seasonal logistics vital to sustaining life in the archipelago.
Expected Features
According to iniBuilds post, the scenery will feature custom ground textures covering the entire airport area, handcrafted buildings with interior and parallax effects, and a detailed landside zone that includes key structures such as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. The developer also mentions custom Norwegian airside elements reflecting real-world operations, along with fully custom night lighting across the runway, taxiways, and apron. A GSX profile will be included in the package, and the environment will feature static aircraft — including helicopters and general aviation types — to populate the apron. All elements are said to be optimised with Level of Detail (LOD) systems to maintain good performance across all platforms.
Arctic operations
iniBuilds notes that the scenery aims to capture the atmosphere and operational difficulty of Arctic aviation, where low visibility, icing, and mountainous terrain challenge both pilots and equipment. The team highlights the dramatic seasonal contrast between the long polar night and the midnight sun as a key visual feature of this release.
A short teaser video showcasing the upcoming scenery is available here. FSNews will report on the release as soon as iniBuilds publishes further details.
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