Currently, arrivals do not spawn unless a gate is available. This creates unrealistic traffic flow and prevents users from building high-density or peak-period schedules.
A better approach would be to allow arrivals to spawn even when no gate is available, and instead flag them as “awaiting gate assignment.”
Suggested behavior:
Arrivals spawn normally regardless of gate availability
If no gate is available, the aircraft is marked (flight strip, ADIRS tag color, or icon) as “No Gate Assigned” (or have the tag text color change)
Aircraft can hold, delay taxi-in, or be managed by the player until a gate opens
To maintain balance and user control, add a setting such as:
“Maximum Arrivals Without Gate” (0, 2, 5, 10, Unlimited)
Once this threshold is reached, the sim can:
delay additional arrivals
meter inbound traffic
Benefits:
Preserves realistic arrival flow
Turns gate shortages into a visible and manageable problem
Enables high-density and banked traffic scenarios
Restores player-driven difficulty instead of artificial constraints
Supports both casual and advanced play styles
This would significantly improve realism and restore the ability to run challenging schedules without breaking the traffic system.