Aviation News International – 15 full-flight simulators at Denver International Airport (DEN)
The plot of land, which is near Denver International Airport (DEN), one of the critical hubs of United Airlines, will be used to build 15 full-flight simulators (FFS) and the associated training and supporting facilities on site. According to a report by the Denver Business Journal, the company wants to finish building the training facility by the fall of 2027.
During the first phase of the construction on the site, United Airlines wants to build 12 FFS, with the airline also exploring options to add support to corporate campus activity to welcome about 5,000 people in the subsequent phases of developing the land. United Airlines argued that its current training facilities, located around 18 miles (28.9 kilometers) southwest of DEN, are running at capacity, with the Flight Training Center being responsible for training over 16,000 of the airline’s pilots yearly.
United Airlines pilot training facilities
In addition to DEN, the carrier has several other pilot training facilities in the US. For example, its United Aviate Academy, which the airline plans to use to hire over 10,000 pilots over the next ten years, is located at Pheonix Goodyear Airport (GYR). United Airlines announced that the academy’s inaugural class of pilots, comprising 51 pilots, 80% of whom are women or people of color, graduated in January 2023. “United is leading the industry in the training, recruitment and hiring of the next generation of talented commercial pilots and the progress we’ve made at United Aviate Academy after just one year is another example of an airline where good leads the way,” Scott Kirby, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of United Airlines, said at the time.
