Route Import/Export

Import and export flight routes with schedules, times, SimBrief settings, and fleet assignments.

Staff

Last verified: January 28, 2026

The Route importer and exporter let you bulk manage flight routes. Routes define the flights your pilots can book, including departure/arrival airports, schedule times, fleet assignments, and SimBrief configuration.

Import Dependencies First

Create Airports, Fleets, Load Factors, and Containers before importing routes. Routes validate that all referenced IDs exist and that fleets are allowed for the assigned parameters.

Accessing Import/Export

In Orwell, go to Data → Exports to download your routes as CSV, or Data → Imports to upload changes.

Column Reference

Core Columns

Column	Required	Description
`ID`	For updates	vAMSYS record ID. Leave empty when creating new routes. Include when updating or deleting.
`Departure Airport (ICAO/IATA)`	Yes	Departure airport code or ID. Must exist in your airline.
`Arrival Airport (ICAO/IATA)`	Yes	Arrival airport code or ID. Must exist in your airline.
`Type`	Yes	Route type: scheduled, cargo, charter, training, vfr, repositioning, or jumpseat
`Callsign`	Conditional	Radio callsign (4-7 characters). Required for all types except jumpseat.
`Flight Number`	Conditional	Flight number (3-6 characters). Required for all types except jumpseat.
`Fleet IDs`	Conditional	Comma-separated Fleet IDs. Required for all types except jumpseat.
`_delete`	Yes	Set to TRUE to delete, FALSE otherwise

Schedule Columns

Column	Description
`Start Date`	Route becomes available (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS)
`End Date`	Route expires (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS)
`Departure Time (HH:MM)`	Scheduled departure time
`Arrival Time (HH:MM)`	Scheduled arrival time
`Service Days`	Comma-separated weekdays: monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday, sunday

Timezone Handling

If your airline uses local times for routes, departure and arrival times are automatically converted between local airport timezone and UTC during import/export.

Flight Details

Column	Description
`Altitude`	Cruise altitude (e.g., FL350, 35000)
`Cost Index`	Cost index value (AUTO or 0-9999)
`Flight Length (HH:MM)`	Flight duration. Auto-calculated if empty.
`Flight Distance (NM)`	Distance in nautical miles. Auto-calculated if empty.
`Routing`	Flight plan route string
`Remarks`	Visible remarks for pilots
`Internal Remarks`	Staff-only notes
`Tags`	Comma-separated tags for categorization
`Is Hidden`	TRUE to hide from pilots

Callsign Options

Column	Description
`Allow Callsign Change`	TRUE to let pilots modify the callsign
`CS Defaults Username Opt1`	TRUE to use username option 1 as default
`CS Defaults Username Opt2`	TRUE to use username option 2 as default
`CS Defaults Aircraft Reg`	TRUE to use aircraft registration as default
`Callsign Generator Str`	Custom callsign generator pattern

Load Factor and Container Columns

Column	Description
`Pax LF ID`	Passenger load factor ID
`Pax Luggage LF ID`	Passenger luggage load factor ID
`Cargo LF ID`	Cargo weight load factor ID
`Cargo Volume LF ID`	Cargo volume load factor ID
`Container IDs`	Comma-separated container IDs available on this route

SimBrief Columns

Route-level SimBrief settings for flight planning.

Column	Description
`Flight Rules`	i=IFR, v=VFR, y=IFR/VFR, z=VFR/IFR
`Flight Type`	s=Scheduled, n=Non-scheduled, g=General aviation, m=Military, x=Other
`SB Pax Wgt`	Passenger weight override (kg)
`SB Bag Wgt`	Bag weight override (kg)
`SB Contingency Fuel`	Contingency fuel policy
`SB Reserve Fuel`	Reserve fuel policy

Additional SimBrief Fuel Columns

Additional fuel columns available: SB MEL Fuel, SB ATC Fuel, SB WXX Fuel, SB Extra Fuel, SB Tankering Fuel, SB Min FOB, SB Min FOD. Each has a corresponding units column (mins, kg, or lbs). Alternate airports: SB Enroute Altn, SB Takeoff Altn, SB Altn 1-4.

Route Types

Type	Description	Requirements
`scheduled`	Regular passenger flights	Callsign, Flight Number, Fleet IDs
`cargo`	Cargo-only flights	Callsign, Flight Number, Fleet IDs
`charter`	Charter flights	Callsign, Flight Number, Fleet IDs
`training`	Training flights	Callsign, Flight Number, Fleet IDs
`vfr`	VFR flights	Callsign, Flight Number, Fleet IDs
`repositioning`	Ferry/repositioning flights	Callsign, Flight Number, Fleet IDs
`jumpseat`	Pilot repositioning (no aircraft)	None (no callsign, flight number, or fleet)

Creating Routes

Leave the ID column empty
Fill in required columns: Departure/Arrival airports, Type
Add Callsign, Flight Number, and Fleet IDs (unless jumpseat)
Set _delete to FALSE

Updating Routes

Export existing routes
Modify the columns you need to change
Keep the ID column intact
Ensure _delete is FALSE

Ending Routes

Setting _delete to TRUE and letting a route naturally expire via End Date achieve the same result. Using End Date lets vAMSYS handle expiry automatically without needing an import.

Export existing routes
Set End Date to a date in the past (e.g., yesterday)
Keep the ID column intact
Ensure _delete is FALSE

Prefer Ending Over Deleting

If you know when a route should end, set the End Date when creating it. For routes you need to end now, setting an End Date in the past is still faster than using _delete. Deletion slows down your import, while End Date expiry happens in the background.

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