Some tweaks to the new fleet commonality system have been made to better allow aircraft brokering by adding "Idle Fleet Types" rule

• A fleet type is considered idle (and exempt from commonality costs) if both of the following conditions are met: a) No aircraft of the fleet type are assigned to any active routes AND b) The oldest aircraft in the fleet type was delivered no more than 45 game days ago.
• This grace period ensures flexibility for airlines adding or returning fleet types (e.g. from leases from other players) without incurring immediate costs.
• This change is now "live" in all games apart from "Airline Generations" and "History and the Future". The change will apply to these two games next week - please check your idle fleets before that.

Full details available in the Changelog.

A new Beginner's World #1 scenario is now open!

Join here: https://www.airwaysim.com/game/#game502

AirwaySim has always two concurrent Beginner's World scenarios running (BW#1 and BW#2). They both use the same settings and same time frame.

Our beginner game series is aimed for all newbies and other players wishing to test different playing styles in an easier environment. Duration of one scenario is always approximately 60 real days. The scenario runs for ~10 game years with a speed of 25 minutes per day, and all of AirwaySim's main features are included in these scenarios.

When a BW scenario ends, a new one will start within a few days. The two scenarios are running in parallel so that there is always one BW scenario start every month.

Fleet Commonality v2.0 is arriving!

The long-awaited and much-requested update to our fleet commonality cost concepts has been now fully completed, and will be soon activated in all AirwaySim game worlds (*).

This is a complete overhaul of the system, bringing a more refined and realistic approach to the fixed costs of managing the different aircraft and engine types in your airline's fleet. The new fleet commonality model gives you a more realistic cost model, and more transparent experience to making the strategic decisions.

The single biggest new feature is the partial commonality where aircraft between two separate fleet groups can create cost savings if they share common designs, such as B757 and B767. Another notable change is the introduction of a Fleet Commonality Calculator, allowing you to plan ahead the costs of a fleet change.

Please read the details from the fully updated chapter of the user manual: https://manual.airwaysim.com/simulation-documentation/fleet-commonality

Summary of updates

Full System Rebuild to AirwaySim v.2.0

• The entire cost calculation engine has been restructured from scratch
• No more hidden cost jumps - adding new fleets is now logical and predictable
• Cost structure is based on per-fleet + per-aircraft + per-enginegroup logic
• Entirely new user interface for Fleet Commonality page, with much more information and a mobile-compatible layout

Fleet Similarity Logic Introduced

• Bonuses apply when operating related aircraft types (A320 ↔ A330, MD-80 ↔ DC-9, etc.)
• Affects both training and maintenance costs
• Bonus depends on similarity, fleet size, and best-match logic

Manufacturer Bonus Added

• Operating multiple fleets from the same manufacturer yields cost reductions
• 2% per additional fleet (max 10%)

Basis of Costs Improved

• All your aircraft in operational state ( = even the ones with no routes) count towards the commonality costs
• Training costs now scale with actual crew requirements (pilot/cabin crew)
• Maintenance costs include aircraft-specific efficiency factors
• Large fleets benefit from internal efficiency scaling

Engine Commonality Improved

• Shared engine groups reduce maintenance and training costs, example: CFM56 used in A320, B737, and A340, and the logic and readability has been improved

Fragmentation & Base Bloat Penalties

• Realistic scaling for too many fleet types, or wide base airport dispersal per each fleet
• Penalties apply gradually and fairly, encourages strategic fleet planning

Small Airline Discounts Improved

• Airlines with 10 or fewer aircraft receive progressive cost reductions to help them get started
• Supports new airline growth and early gameplay

Fleet Commonality Calculator Added

• Simulate cost changes before adding/removing fleet types
• Tool found in the Fleet Commonality page

User manual: https://manual.airwaysim.com/simulation-documentation/fleet-commonality

Changelog entry 1: https://feedback.airwaysim.com/changelog/updates-15

Changelog entry 2: https://feedback.airwaysim.com/changelog/updates-16

(*) Update will be made live to all current game worlds, apart from The Modern Times, since that scenario has only a month of runtime left, and we do not wish to make major changes to airline costs at this late in the game.

A new Beginner's World #2 scenario is now open!

Join here: https://www.airwaysim.com/game/#game501

AirwaySim has always two concurrent Beginner's World scenarios running (BW#1 and BW#2). They both use the same settings and same time frame.

Our beginner game series is aimed for all newbies and other players wishing to test different playing styles in an easier environment. Duration of one scenario is always approximately 60 real days. The scenario runs for ~10 game years with a speed of 25 minutes per day, and all of AirwaySim's main features are included in these scenarios.

When a BW scenario ends, a new one will start within a few days. The two scenarios are running in parallel so that there is always one BW scenario start every month.

This particular scenario includes our new Fleet Commonality features. (more details of this will be posted once the final part of this update is finished)

This round of the epic-length AirwaySim airline simulation scenario, The Age of Flight, is now open!

» Join The Age of Flight!

This is one of our three concurrent epic-length airline sim scenarios, starting in the 1950s and running all the way into year 2035. An ultimate challenge for virtual airline managers!

This game world follows the standard settings for long AirwaySim games:

• Time span: 1950 - 2035, at 30 minutes per game day.
• Normal difficulty level / Epic length scenario.
• All airports globally and all aircraft models included.
• The overall play duration of this game is about 1.5 years.
• Special rule: The "out of HQ" aircraft limit is disabled already from the beginning of the simulation (geopolitical limitations are still in force).
• New feature: New Fleet Commonality rules and features will be available in this game world, allowing a more realistic experience (details of this to follow!).

Game play related settings specific for this scenario:

• The used aircraft selection is very limited since the game starts in year 1950, and you should use some cheap war-surplus DC-3s and similar planes to get going. There are some long-haul planes in the market, but do not build your entire strategy on them.
• If you are using the Easy Start mode, you should pick the short-haul airline as your starting mode. Note that in some cases the Easy Start mode might not be able to pick suitable routes for you, and then you must revert to Advanced Starting mode.
• Please remember that this game follows the standard and real-world setup for the economy and political rules. The expansion outside your own HQ country does not become available until the 1990s and onwards (refer to manual for the basing rules).
• Cargo demand in 1950s is very low.
• Some airports (Johannesburg, Moscow SVO, Helsinki) have been "unrealistically" adjusted to have been opened already Jan-1950 to allow them to be selected as HQs to give you more choices to start.

If it has been a while since you started at early stages in a major AirwaySim game, here are a few reminders and tips:

• The game clock is paused for the first day and will start moving after 24 hrs.
• The used aircraft market will refresh several times during the first static 24 hour day (but you can only make two orders for aircraft during the first day).
• There is a good supply of used aircraft available to begin with, but the used aircraft market will soon become limited and the popular aircraft types are sold/leased very quickly. Take care when picking the aircraft you plan to use and plan to order aircraft directly from the manufacturers.
• New aircraft ordering will be available after the time starts to move (= from day 2 of the simulation), but it is of course always recommended to lease several used aircraft to begin with.
• Be patient with the route sales figures since your Route Image grows slowly. Do not spend all your cash on planes at once, remember to leave a good reserve. It takes time to gain profits and there might be unexpected early problems..
• Some popular airports will for sure become limited on airport slots soon. This is normal and you should use larger aircraft or other airports in that case. Please remember that slots are only available when the airport infrastructure expands.
• The passenger demand will grow steadily during the course of the game, and is rather low at the very beginning.
• Consider joining an alliance from early stages of the game, they are great resources for improving your game play (tips and help from fellow players).
• Remember to read the AirwaySim Manual to learn more, and join the Discord chat to meet other players!

Welcome to join the latest AirwaySim airline game and have fun!