Synaptic Simulations A220 airliner released for Microsoft Flight Simulator

An A220 airliner add-on built by Synaptic Simulations and published by iniBuilds has been released on the Microsoft Flight Simulator in-sim Marketplace, priced at $64.99. Microsoft announced the launch in a developer interview published on Xbox Wire.

Synaptic is an eight-person team working across systems and avionics programming, 3D art and production. Chief executive and art manager Harsh Duba leads the project alongside lead systems programmer Shaye Garg and lead avionics programmer Michael Romashov. The A220 is the studio's first commercial release.

The team told Xbox Wire it came together around 2020 and 2021 through a community-led freeware A220 project that recruited contributors via Discord and Reddit. Most members were 16 or 17 at the time; several have since taken engineering and computer science degrees and work in the software industry.

What the add-on simulates

Synaptic says the aircraft includes a 3D terrain map backed by a custom compression algorithm, a graphical flight-planning system that allows route changes through the navigation display — including holds, crossing constraints and reroutes — and interactive circuit breakers wired into a simulated electrical system. The team also cites a reproduction of the engine sound the type is known for.

iniBuilds handled most of the texturing, the passenger cabin, liveries and animations, along with flight-deck refinements, a custom sound package and an electronic flight bag. Duba said the partnership began through a colleague who had freelanced for the publisher.

Garg described repeated rebuilds during development, saying the 3D model was remade from scratch and the systems and avionics went through several rewrites as the team's standards changed. Duba said Synaptic chose the A220 because the type had no high-fidelity simulation in development at the time, unlike the more widely covered airliners.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is available on Xbox Series X and S, PC, PlayStation 5 and cloud streaming, and through Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.