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United Airlines Expands World’s Largest Flight Training Center in Denver

The addition increases training capabilities and makes room for 12 new flight simulators

By Macy Harder

In February, United Airlines opened a new, 150,000-square-foot building at its Flight Training Center in Denver. The addition created room for 12 new flight simulators, which will allow the facility to train up to 240 more pilots per day.

United Airlines adds 12 new flight simulators like these to its Flight Training Center in Denver, Colorado. || Courtesy of United Airlines

The largest of its kind in the world, United Airlines’ Flight Training Center spans 23 acres in Denver’s Central Park neighborhood. It is the sole training facility for the airline’s nearly 16,000 active pilots and all newly hired pilots—so far, more than 300 have been hired this year. With the addition of the new building, the Flight Training Center can house a total of 52 full-motion flight simulators and 34 fixed training devices.

According to the airline, these investments in people, infrastructure, and technology continue to fuel its United Next plan, which aims to increase the fleet of wide-body planes and improve passenger experience.

“We’re growing faster than any airline in the industry and our investments in our pilots and their training are critical to support the unprecedented number of new aircraft United will add to its fleet in the decades ahead,” United CEO Scott Kirby says in a prepared statement. “United pilots are the best aviators in the world and the way we recruit, hire, and train directly supports that high standard of excellence.”

At the local level, United expects its investment in the expansion to create over 370 new jobs. In total, more than 1,600 of United’s 10,000-plus Denver-based employees currently work at the Flight Training Center.

united.com

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