The new training facility is spread over 15,000 sqm facility
American carrier United Airlines has added 12 new flight simulators at its Flight Training Centre in Denver, expanding what is already the world’s largest pilot training facility.
In a press statement, United says that the expansion comes on the back of a rapid ramp up of the number of pilots the airline has. As part of its plan to expand the number of pilots in its workforce, United has been hiring pilots at a frenetic pace, having added over 300 since the start of 2024 and over 2,600 since the start of 2023.
The airline says that the new training facility, spread over 15,000 sqm facility will have the potential to train up to 240 more pilots per day. The airline says that while Denver is already the largest facility of its kind in the world, the additional building gives the airline the capability to add 12 more advanced full-motion flight simulators to the facility, six of which have already been delivered.
Scott Kirby
The new building at the campus adds even more training capacity for United’s 16,000 pilots. It adds that the centre now has eight buildings in all, more than 70,000 sqm of training space, and 46 state-of-the-art full-motion flight simulators.
The statement adds that United CEO Scott Kirby was joined by leaders from the Flight Training Center and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston to celebrate the opening and show off the facility.
‘‘We are 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 our fleet in the decades ahead. United pilots are the best aviators in the world and the way we recruit, hire and train directly supports that high standard of excellence,’’ says Kirby.
New Capabilities
Located in the Central Park neighbourhood of Denver, the facility spans 23-acres and is the sole training facility for the airline’s nearly 16,000 active pilots and all newly hired pilots. All United pilots complete intensive simulator training with pilot instructors and evaluators during the initial qualification process and every nine months thereafter to maintain their certifications at United’s Flight Training Centre in Denver.
The statement adds that currently, United’s Flight Training Centre has 46 full-motion flight simulators, including six in the new building, and 21 fixed training devices. In addition to the six already in the new building, it has space to add six more full-motion flight simulators.
The addition of the new building allows for a total of 52 full-motion flight simulators and 34 fixed training devices at the Flight Training Centre. The new building gives the Flight Training Center the ability to conduct more than 32,000 training events annually and train up to 860 pilots per day. It says that the facility is in operation 24 hours a day for 362 days a year.
Flight Training Centre’s Local Impact
United says it invested more than USD 145 million in the new building and it is expected to lead to more than 370 new jobs. In total, more than 1,600 of United’s workforce of over 10,000 in Denver are employed at United’s Flight Training Centre, representing 24 different departments in roles that include flight instructing, flight evaluating, scheduling, pilot hiring, human resources and flight standards.
In 2023, more than USD 44 million was spent on hotel room nights in Denver for pilots visiting the training facility, with an expectation to spend more than USD 65 million in 2024.
United says its Flight Training Centre was originally constructed between 1966-68 as part of the Stapleton Airport complex and has served as United’s main pilot training facility since then. Since 2016, United has invested USD 370 million in the Flight Training Centre overall.
