Is Payware Worth It? 13 New MSFS 2024 Marketplace Add-ons Tested (Default vs Payware)

The Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 marketplace just exploded with an overwhelming wave of new content, bringing a massive mix of high-detail regional airports, historical airfields, and sprawling city overhauls. Whether you enjoy low-level helicopter operations, vintage aviation, or high-altitude airline approaches, this week covers absolutely everything.

In this comprehensive marketplace breakdown, we are putting the biggest new releases head-to-head against the default MSFS 2024 streaming engine to see which add-ons genuinely deserve a spot on your virtual hangar.

REMARK: we don't compare all additions with the default scenery only a few of them.

To make sense of this massive drop, we have organized the latest releases into four logical categories:

✈️ THE SCANDINAVIAN SWEEP: We start our journey up north with an absolute onslaught of Norwegian scenery by developer Finn Hansen. First up is Sandefjord Torp Airport (ENTO), a major low-cost and charter hub on the west side of the Oslofjord, featuring ground-up 4K PBR modeling, fully rendered hangar interiors, and bespoke ground service equipment (GSE). From there, we brave the rugged west coast to check out Ålesund Vigra Airport (ENAL), featuring highly precise 15 cm custom aerial imagery and local landmark boats. Moving past 71 degrees north, we test the extreme daylight transitions of the midnight sun at Hammerfest Airport (ENHF) before tackling the tricky mid-runway road crossing at Notodden Airport (ENNO)—where we put the payware directly against the default scenery to see if it fixes those bizarre runway traffic bugs. Finally, we finish the regional tour at Molde Airport (ENML), checking out its terrifyingly low 3-meter runway thresholds along the edge of the fjord.

🌍 GLOBAL GATEWAYS & INTERNATIONAL HUBS: We shift gears to the heavy airliners, flying directly into King Abdulaziz International Airport (OEJN) in Jeddah by AzrSim. We compare this massive Middle Eastern passenger hub against the default streaming engine to analyze the roof details, custom jetways, and the inclusion of the local high-speed rail line. Next, we head to the Mediterranean to tour the island of Rhodes with FSDG’s Diagoras International Airport (LGRP), followed by an in-depth feature check on Lycium’s Heraklion Airport (LGIH) on the coast of Crete, assessing its historical building accuracy and true-to-life apron clutter. We close this category with a critical look at Yanji Chaoyangchuan International Airport (ZYYJ) in China, evaluating the developer's heavy focus on surrounding city landmarks versus core airport detail.

🦅 NORTH AMERICAN COMMERCIAL & EXECUTIVE HUBS: We take the drone out to Arkansas to run a side-by-side comparison on Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT) by Propair Flight, looking at terminal glass improvements and custom military-ramp textures. From there, we journey to Southern California for XWind Simulations' Long Beach Airport (LGB) to see how accurately it captures the historic 1941 open-air passenger terminals. We also check out Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport (OWB) by MSF Scenery Builders—complete with their signature school bus static assets—before taking a deep dive into Dreamflight Studios' completely rebuilt Teterboro Airport (TEB) Version 2, evaluating its high-end corporate FBO interiors and custom static business jets.

🏔️ CHALLENGING SHORT FIELDS & REGIONAL STRIPS: For the military and vintage flyers, we visit the legendary RAF Scampton (EGXP) in the UK, evaluating its historic terrain mesh updates and custom parking allocations for multiplayer Red Arrow runs. We then head to the Czech Republic to examine Pardubice Airport (LKPD) before checking out Brazil’s historical aviation heart at Campo de Marte Airport (SBMT) by RP Simulations, exploring its dense urban helicopter flight lines. Finally, we scale the Swiss Alps to test our precision rotorcraft skills at the dramatic Cabane des Vignettes Helipad, perched precariously at 3,158 meters.

Whether you are navigating modern airliner approaches or exploring historical grass strips, let me know in the comments below: which of these incredible packages is landing on your hard drive first?

If this marketplace breakdown helps you plan your next flight route, make sure to hit that like button and subscribe for weekly MSFS realism updates!

🕒 Chapters
00:00 - Intro
00:52 - The Scandinavian Sweep
08:25 - Global Gateways & International Hubs
14:55 - North American Commercial & Executive Hubs
20:58 - Challenging Short Fields & Regional Strips

📹 Other marketplace additions
New activities: https://youtu.be/vR2MQulaWf8
New aircrafts: https://youtu.be/KcoNUgjoqdw

🔗 Other related links
Tutorials: https://bit.ly/4u0ysfA
Website: https://highintheflightsimsky.nl
Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/J3tZyhceUM

#MSFS2024 #FlightSimulator #Aviation #MarketplaceUpdate #MicrosoftFlightSimulator