How do I close and reopen civilian airspace?

Find the controls

1. Check TS, the Tension State. The ordinary AIRSPACE CONTROL panel appears while tension is Critical.
2. Close the Escape menu if it is covering the operational interface.
3. In the movable-panel layout, look for the initially minimised AIRSPACE CTRL bar. Choose its □ button to restore AIRSPACE CONTROL.
4. Read which button is available. CLOSE AIRSPACE is enabled while open; OPEN AIRSPACE is enabled while closed.

Close the airspace

1. When you intend to close civilian airspace, choose CLOSE AIRSPACE once.
2. Check the Airspace Closed alert and the AIRSPACE CONTROL message in ASMA.
3. Read any GROUND ALL AIRCRAFT (ASMA) follow-up. It can report diversions, that no civilian aircraft were found, or that no new diversion is required.
4. Watch the civilian traffic respond. Aircraft already in flight take time to change route and land; closing airspace does not remove every civilian symbol from the scope.

What closure changes

Closing the airspace stops normal new civilian flights from being added. It also starts the game’s response for directing civilian aircraft to land. Read the actual aircraft and ASMA reports: an order to divert is not confirmation that the airspace is empty or that every aircraft has landed.

How do I check what happened after the order?

1. Read GROUND ALL AIRCRAFT (ASMA) as a summary of the civilian response. A message about diverting aircraft is not a count of aircraft that have landed.
2. Select one civilian track. Match its callsign with the available ASMA messages, then check the height and speed and its path on the scope.
3. Give the flight time to respond. If the game is paused, resume it before expecting movement. Compare the next position with the earlier one.
4. If it still looks wrong, save the callsign, track number, time and full message. Include the version and whether you loaded a save in the report.

Why are aircraft flying in circles?

Some diverted aircraft fly a waiting pattern before they are allowed to approach and land. This is a holding pattern: flying around while waiting for a turn. The game’s landing queue releases aircraft in sequence. A track repeatedly following a loop can mean the aircraft is waiting for its turn. That is the aircraft’s movement, not the shape of its radar symbol. Follow the selected track and its height and speed; do not count a diversion message as a completed landing.

Why is an offshore helicopter heading back to its base?

A shuttle helicopter flies between a land base and a platform at sea. When the airspace closes, its controller stops that shuttle trip and sends it back to its departure base to land. It follows a separate return procedure from the civilian aircraft landing queue. Returning still takes flying time; the helicopter does not vanish as soon as you close the airspace. If its departure base has been destroyed, the unusable-airfield behaviour below applies.

What if the landing airfield cannot be used?

If the intended civilian airfield has been destroyed, the game looks for another usable civilian airfield. If none is available, the aircraft can remain in a waiting pattern instead of completing a landing. Watch its actual movement and read the messages. A closure summary alone cannot prove that a landing destination was available. Keep the callsign, messages and save for a problem report if the summary and aircraft behavior disagree.

I want my fighter to land—what should I use?

GROUND ALL AIRCRAFT describes the civilian traffic response. To send one of your fighters home, use the fighter’s RTB controls, read its landing destination and follow its return. After landing, check its fuel and weapons before giving it another task.

Reopen through the panel

1. When reopening is appropriate for the situation, restore AIRSPACE CONTROL if needed.
2. Choose OPEN AIRSPACE and check for Airspace Reopened plus the controller-command message in ASMA.
3. Monitor the resulting traffic. New traffic can resume while previously diverted aircraft continue their landing paths. Do not expect every diverted flight to return immediately to its old route.

The panel is separate from ACTIVE COMMS

Closing the COMMS window does not switch off AIRSPACE CONTROL. If its bar is absent, first check the tension state and whether the Escape menu is open. Outside Critical tension, this panel is hidden rather than presented as a permanent airspace-management menu.

Reopening is not an all-clear report

The OPEN AIRSPACE button directly requests reopening; its availability does not certify that every threat has been dealt with. Continue monitoring the picture, messages and scenario instructions. Automatic scenario responses can also change airspace status.

If the response seems inconsistent

Capture the version, tension state, enabled button, closure/reopening message and a relevant civilian track’s task. Include whether you loaded a save. Use the reporting checklist before trying an undocumented command or deleting the session.

Does CRITICAL mean civilian airspace is closed?

No. In v0.8.16.0, reaching CRITICAL Tension State makes these controls available; that change alone does not close civilian airspace. Closure is a separate state. Other scenario actions can also change it.

1. In the movable layout, choose □ on the minimised AIRSPACE CTRL bar to open AIRSPACE CONTROL. Read the enabled button: CLOSE AIRSPACE means the airspace is currently open; OPEN AIRSPACE means it is closed.
2. If you intend to close it, follow the closing steps above. Read the closure alert and ASMA messages, then watch the actual civilian response. Do not use the tension label or an empty patch of radar as confirmation.
3. If the controls are missing, check TS and close the Escape menu first. Outside Critical the ordinary panel is hidden. If the messages and visible controls still disagree, retain the version, TS, exact message and save/load history for a problem report.

What should I check after loading closed airspace?

In v0.8.16.0, a save containing the closed-airspace state restores that state when loaded. Before giving another order, follow the loaded-game checklist, check TS and the enabled AIRSPACE CONTROL button as described above, and follow a restored civilian track. Some saved diversions can continue landing or rejoin the landing queue; loading does not mean that the airspace has reopened.

When reopening is appropriate, use OPEN AIRSPACE through the panel. This lets new traffic resume and checks saved civilian diversions that need recovery. It does not repair a destroyed airfield: a tracked diversion with an unavailable target may join the queue at another usable civilian airfield, or remain in a waiting pattern if none is available.

If ASMA says “Resumed normal routing”, check the actual track. That message can also follow recovery into a landing queue or a waiting pattern; it is not confirmation that the aircraft returned to its old route or landed. If the movement still looks wrong, keep the original save and report the version, callsign, messages, tension state and whether you used OPEN AIRSPACE.