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United expands flight training center in Denver days after flight makes emergency landing

Airline opened new 150,000 square foot building
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Posted at 12:42 PM, Feb 22, 2024
and last updated 2024-02-22 14:42:56-05

United Airlines opened a new 150,000-square-foot building in Denver Thursday, expanding what it calls "the world's largest flight training center."

This allows the company to add 12 more full-motion flight simulators and gives them more capacity to train up to 240 pilots per day, according to a Thursday news release from United.

The new building will be located in the Central Park neighborhood, spanning 23 acres, United said.

"As home to its fastest-growing hub, the airline has funneled nearly $1 billion in the past few years alone to further improve the customer experience at [Denver International Airport]," United said in its Thursday news release.

The company invested more than $145 million in the new building, and it's estimated it could lead to more than 370 new jobs, according to its news release.

United said it has already hired more than 300 pilots in 2024 so far, and 2,300 pilots in 2023.

The United Flight Training Center is expected to expand even further in 2028, aiming to have flight training capabilities in the next four years. The airline purchased two plots of undeveloped land near DIA last summer, according to the company's news release.

The opening of the new part of United's flight training center all comes the same week as one of its flights from San Francisco to Boston made an emergency landing in Denver Tuesday to address an issue with a slat on the wing of the plane.

United Airlines emergency landing February 19, 2024.jpg

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