Fly 2 High has recently released their rendition of Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (KBHM) for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024, serving Birmingham, Alabama, with an average of 3.2 million passengers per year, making it the largest and busiest airport in the state.

The airport opened in early 1931 with a single east-west runway and a two-story passenger terminal.

The airport was leased to the United States Army Air Forces for $1 a year during World War 2 to support national defense, becoming Birmingham Army Airfield. The period under the US Army’s helm brought several improvements, such as new paved taxiways, a new control tower, and the construction of an aircraft modification center.

Despite Birmingham being considered a potential air transportation hub for the American South, an aviation fuel tax imposed by the city made it financially unfeasible for many operators, leading Atlanta to become the preferred choice instead.

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The airport played an important role during the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, with pilots and crew from the Alabama National Air Guard selected to train Cuban exile fliers in Nicaragua to fly the Douglas B-26 Invader.

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A second passenger terminal was built in 1962 to accommodate the ever-growing passenger figures, along with a new control tower.

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Then, a new semi-circular terminal was completed in 1973 with 15 aircraft gates and a large parking deck.

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Between 1970 and 1992, a slow demolition process began to completely demolish the original passenger terminal built in 1931.

The 1990s brought multiple runway expansions to accommodate larger aircraft.

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In 2011, the administration approved a new three-phase terminal modernization project, demolishing the old terminal from 1962, the semi-circular terminal from 1973, and constructing new facilities with 19 gates, doubling the airport’s footprint.

It’s served by American Airlines, American Eagle, Delta Air Lines, Delta Connection, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and United Express.

The scenery features an accurate rendition of the airport, with custom ground textures, an up-to-date ground layout, custom jetways, accurate taxiways, custom PBR texturing, performance-friendly optimization, custom night lighting, and much more.

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It’s available on OrbxDirect (2020 version here) for roughly $16.10, requiring at least 3.04 GB of free hard disk space.

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