Enter departure and arrival ICAO codes to plan a route
For flight simulation use only. Not for real-world navigation.
Map Layers
Flight Planning Mode
Labels
Country names
City names
States / provinces
Oceans & seas
Mountains & landmarks
Features
Airport markers
Country borders
State borders
Rivers
Geographic overlays
Day/Night overlay
Aviation
FIR boundaries
Airways
SIGMETs
NAT Tracks
How to Use FlightPlanner
Getting Started
Enter departure and arrival ICAO codes (e.g. KJFK, EGLL, RJTT, OMDB)
Click Calculate Route
View the route on the 3D globe with full waypoint and airway details
IATA codes (JFK, LHR) are also accepted and automatically converted. You can also link directly with ?dep=EGLL&arr=KJFK in the URL.
Airways & Routing
Airways (enabled by default) routes via published ATS airways with named fixes, SID/STAR procedures, and real-world airway designators. The routing engine uses the X-Plane navigation database with 82,000+ airway segments worldwide.
European FRA — Free Route Airspace above FL245 uses direct waypoint-to-waypoint routing
NAT/PACOTS tracks — Wind-optimal North Atlantic and Pacific organized tracks are selected automatically for oceanic crossings
UK SRD — 34,000+ UK structured routes applied for UK departures and arrivals
FAA preferred routes — Published routes for US domestic city pairs
Mandatory airway zones — Russia, China, Japan, SE Asia, South Asia, and Africa enforce published airways
RAD enforcement — Eurocontrol Route Availability Document rules for SID/STAR selection and DCT limits
With airways off, routes use coordinate waypoints in ICAO format (e.g. 55N020W) along the geodesic path.
Route Options
Long route generates the longer great circle path around the opposite side of the globe.
Max latitude constrains the route to stay below a specified latitude.
Route via forces the route over the North or South Pole.
Avoid countries routes around selected countries using FIR boundary data. Multiple countries can be selected. Routes maintain 50 NM clearance from restricted airspace.
Avoid FIRs provides granular avoidance of individual Flight Information Regions.
Route through forces the route to transit through specified countries, useful for realistic routing (e.g., Sydney to London through Japan).
Antarctica sightseeing generates a circular polar route departing and arriving at the same airport.
Aircraft & Performance
Select an aircraft to unlock the full Operational Flight Plan (OFP). Five detailed profiles are built in:
ATR 72-600
Turboprop, FL250, 275 kt
A320neo
Narrowbody, FL370, M0.78
737-800
Narrowbody, FL370, M0.785
777-300ER
Widebody, FL350, M0.84
A350-900
Widebody, FL370, M0.85
An additional 38 aircraft from the OpenAP database are available. When an aircraft is selected, the OFP shows weights (ZFW/TOW/LDW), fuel planning (trip/contingency/alternate/final reserve), a full navigation log, step-climb optimization, and redispatch analysis for long-haul routes.
ETOPS analyzes diversion airport coverage along the route. Uncovered segments are highlighted on the globe. ETOPS ratings are auto-suggested when airports are entered.
RVSM certified (on by default) enables FL290-FL410 in 1,000 ft increments. Non-RVSM aircraft use 2,000 ft separation.
Wind Routing
Wind optimization enables time-minimizing routing using real-time NOAA GFS forecast data at 7 pressure levels (FL235-FL530). The Minimum Time Track algorithm finds the fastest path accounting for wind at every segment.
When an aircraft with a cruise Mach number is selected, TAS is computed automatically from temperature and altitude. Otherwise, set Cruise FL and TAS manually.
Step-climb recommendations show the optimal altitude progression (e.g., FL340 → FL360 → FL390) based on changing wind and weight conditions. The wind freshness indicator shows GFS cycle age.
Weather
After a route is calculated, the info panel automatically fetches:
METARs — Current weather observations for departure, arrival, and alternate airports with flight category (VFR/MVFR/IFR/LIFR)
TAFs — Terminal aerodrome forecasts (collapsible, shown below each METAR)
Alternate airports — Scored by distance, runway length, and weather conditions
Enable the SIGMETs overlay in Map Layers to display active significant weather advisories on the globe. Routes automatically avoid SIGMET areas when the overlay is active.
Custom Route Mode
Switch to the Custom tab to paste an ICAO route string directly:
KJFK DCT MERIT A590 YOSHI DCT RJTT
Supports airport codes, airways, named fixes, DCT, and coordinate waypoints. The route is plotted on the globe with full distance and bearing calculations.
Globe Controls
Left drag
Rotate the globe
Right drag
Tilt the view
Scroll wheel
Zoom in/out
Pinch (touch)
Zoom on mobile
Click waypoint
Show coordinates and details
Right-click
Add via-point (when route active)
Drag via-point
Move via-point; route updates on release
Map Layers
The Map Layers panel controls what is displayed on the globe:
Labels — Country names, city names, states/provinces, oceans, mountains
Features — Airport markers, country/state borders, rivers, day/night overlay
Aviation — FIR boundaries, airways, SIGMETs, NAT/PACOTS tracks
Flight Planning Mode applies a preset configuration optimized for route planning.
Via-Point Route Editing
Right-click anywhere on the globe to insert an orange via-point. The route recalculates through all via-points as geodesic segments. Drag to reposition — the route updates on release. Via-points are ordered automatically and cleared with each new route calculation.
Results & Export
The info panel shows distance, bearings, SID/STAR, timezone crossings, and the full route string (click to copy). When an aircraft is selected, the OFP replaces the waypoint list with a detailed navigation log.