United Airlines has completed the first phase of a major expansion of its pilot training center in Denver, United States, adding dozens of simulators as the US carrier continues to expand a pilot workforce that has reached nearly 18,000.
United describes the Denver complex as the world’s largest pilot training facility, although it does not specify the criteria used for that comparison. The center now occupies nearly 700,000 sq ft (65,000 sq m) across eight buildings on a 22-acre (8.9-hectare) site.
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The expansion was carried out with Canadian simulator manufacturer CAE and has added 40 training devices since 2022. The center now houses 52 full-motion flight simulators and 34 fixed training devices, for a total of 86.
United says the facility can accommodate up to 860 pilots per day and conduct more than 32,000 training events annually. It operates around the clock on 362 days of the year.
The scale is partly a consequence of concentrating United’s pilot training at a single facility. All of the airline’s nearly 18,000 active pilots use the Denver center, as do newly hired pilots undergoing initial qualification.
Active pilots also return to Denver for recurrent simulator training every nine months.
More expansion already planned
The latest work is not the end of the project. United purchased additional land near Denver International Airport in 2023 and received approval from the Denver City Council in July to rezone two parcels for another training complex.
Construction of this second phase is expected to begin in 2027, with the additional facility scheduled to become operational around 2030. It will operate alongside the existing center rather than replace it.
United has invested approximately US$370 million in the Flight Training Center since 2016, including more than US$145 million in a building that opened in 2024.
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The training center itself is considerably older. It was originally constructed between 1966 and 1968 as part of the former Stapleton Airport complex and has served as United’s main pilot training facility since then.
Pilot hiring remains substantial as the airline expands its fleet. United says it has recruited more than 9,500 pilots since announcing its United Next growth program in 2021. Around 700 pilots have been hired so far in 2026, with several hundred more expected to join before the end of the year.
The US carrier also operates its own ab-initio flight school, United Aviate Academy, in Goodyear, Arizona. That operation is separate from the Denver facility, which concentrates on qualification and recurrent training for pilots flying United’s airline fleet.
