Getting Started - Guide for Airport Tycoon

Author: Steven Cothren§
1st Edition
Authors website-www.100megspop3.com/steven       
©You may not reproduce or copy this document with out the authors expressed 
permission. ©
                             Airport Tycoon

The point of this game is obviously to make money and build the best airport 
possible.
In order to make money you must spend money. I have found that the only way to build 
a good airport is to go in debt for about a year. As long as you don’t go in debt 
more than 5 million you will be able to get out easily. If you are lucky enough to 
be able to do it without going in debt you need to stop reading this tutorial 
because I have found that is the best way in most cases. There are three types of 
airports you can build-Cargo, Passenger, Cargo/Passenger. I will cover all of these 
in this tutorial.
CARGO
This is probably the hardest one to make money in. If you choose to build a cargo 
only airport expect to be in debt for at least a year. There are many ways to build 
a good cargo airport, but this is my way. Picking a spot-I would pick a spot with a 
lot of domestic traffic. Land-Since you won’t have any passengers you should buy the 
cheapest land. I always buy about nine squares and option the rest of it. Start 
building- You’ll want to start by building a runway. I recommend building the 
longest one you can. So that you’ll be able to land big contracts. Then you’ll want 
to build a control tower. Don’t forget to build plane stands. If you place them with 
the correct end facing the taxiway the planes will actually taxi over and park then 
the cargo trucks will drive out and get the cargo. Then build your fire stations and 
police stations. Then you’ll want to build your cargo buildings. Make sure that they 
are close to plane stands. I would think that three cargo buildings would be okay to 
start with. You will probably want to build a plane maintain and airport maintain 
after that. After that you just have to wait until you get a contract. Sometimes it 
can take up to 2 years for you to get out of debt. The best way to make money is to 
always build whatever the little pop-up bubble tells you to. 
PASSENGER
This one is pretty easy although I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to have cargo. 
Land-It really doesn’t matter which plot. I usally buy the cheapest so I will have 
more money. You should buy around nine squares then option the rest of it. Start 
building- First you want to build a terminal. I usally pick the second one. You’ll 
want to build a road and a long stay car park. Next you need to build a runway. If 
you build the small one it saves you money, but the big one can land planes with 
more passengers. In the end it levels off.
You’ll want to build at least 3 plane stands probably more. You need a control 
tower. You will also need to build a turnaround so you can feed your passengers. You 
will also need at least one fire station and a police station. You should go ahead 
and build a airport and plane maintain if you have enough money. You should build a 
taxi rank and bus rank to make a little money and keep everyone happy. Now you just 
have to wait for your first contract.
PASSENGER AND CARGO
This one is probably the easiest. Land- Like I said before it really doesn’t matter 
as long as there aren’t any objects in the way. I always buy around nine squares and 
option the rest. Start building- First you should build a terminal. I usally pick 
the second one. Next you should connect the road and build a long stay parking lot. 
Now you need to build a runway. It’s your choice as to which size. Like I said 
before it evens out. You’ll want to build your plane stands close to your terminal, 
but they also need to be close to your cargo storage. You will need to build a 
control tower, a fire station, a police station, and a turnaround. If you have 
enough cash you should also build a plane and airport maintain. In order to make a 
little more money build a taxi rank and bus stop. 
FINAL THOUGHTS
This tutorial does not cover placement of any of the items and it does not talk 
about taxiway or aprons. If I told you all of it the game wouldn’t be any fun.Just 
remember on thing-In order to make money you have to spend it and always have fun 
it’s just a game.
©You may not reproduce or copy this document with out the authors expressed 
permission. ©
Other tutorials you can look for from me-Sim Tower, Sim Copter, Updated Airport 
Tycoon