US Airline United Airlines held a launch event for breaking ground on a new US$100 million Simulator Training Center. Currently United’s Pilot do their simulator training at its own simulator training center called ‘Flight Training Center’ (FTC) in Denver.

The existing center has 39 Full Flight Simulators (FFS) and 15 fixed training devices (FTD). United wants to now increase the total training site to have the capacity to house 52 FFS and 28 FTD through the building of a new four story-building on 23 acres with a projected completion date by the end of 2023.

Initially United is said to plan an additional 6 full flight simulators with another 6 in the future. Indications are that these additional simulators will be Boeing 737MAX, B787 Dreamliner and Airbus A320.

“It’s space that we need to train our pilots, train the next generation of pilots,” said Marc Champion, the Managing Director of the Flight Training Center.

“The expansion of the training center will further boost our economy by creating additional jobs and generating tourism revenue through pilots visiting our city,” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said.

The expansion is in preparation for a hiring surge by United. The airline currently has a goal to hire 10,000 new pilots by 2030. This year alone, they expect to hire more than 2,000 new pilots.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment of airline and commercial pilots is projected to grow 13% from 2020 to 2030 — faster than the average for all occupations.

Video Credit – 9NEWS

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