United Opens World's Largest Pilot Training Center in Denver
The carrier's expanded facility spans nearly 700,000 square feet and houses 86 training devices capable of training up to 860 pilots daily, marking completion of a major expansion begun during the pandemic.
United Airlines has completed the first phase of its massive Flight Training Center expansion in Denver, creating what the carrier describes as the world's largest pilot training facility. The campus now encompasses approximately 700,000 square feet across eight buildings on a 22-acre site in the city's Central Park neighborhood.
The facility houses 52 full-motion flight simulators and 34 fixed training devices, bringing the total number of training apparatuses to 86. According to the airline, the center can accommodate up to 860 pilots each day and conducts more than 32,000 training events annually. Nearly 18,000 active United pilots cycle through the Denver location, which operates around the clock, 362 days per year.
United developed the expansion in partnership with CAE, the Canadian aviation training company that supplies the simulators and training equipment. The airline has added 40 new CAE training devices to the campus since 2022, with further expansion still planned. Chief Executive Scott Kirby attended Thursday's completion ceremony alongside CAE President Matthew Bromberg and U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, emphasizing that the carrier invested in these expensive simulators even during the pandemic when competitors were contracting operations.
Every newly hired United pilot receives initial training at the facility, while current pilots return every nine months for mandatory recurrent simulator training to maintain their qualifications. The simulators replicate aircraft motion, system failures, weather conditions, specific airports, and numerous abnormal scenarios that pilots might never encounter in actual flight operations. Each simulator costs millions of dollars.
More than 1,600 United employees work at the campus across 24 departments, including flight instruction roles. The complex, which spans an area roughly equivalent to 12 football fields, represents a significant investment in pilot training infrastructure as United continues expanding its flight operations.