United Airlines Expands Pilot Training Center to 86 Simulator and Training Devices

Colorado, USA – United Airlines and CAE have completed the first phase of an expansion at United’s Denver Flight Training Center, adding 40 CAE training devices since 2022 and bringing the centre’s stated inventory to 86 devices. United describes the approximately 700,000-square-foot campus as the world’s largest pilot training facility and plans to begin a second expansion phase in 2027. The expansion raises United’s training capacity to as many as 860 pilots per day, supporting recurrent and initial qualification requirements for a workforce of nearly 18,000 pilots as the airline continues hiring and expanding its fleet.

• The Denver centre now has 86 CAE training devices comprising 52 full-motion flight simulators and 34 fixed training devices, according to the detailed breakdown published by United.
• The Flight Training Center consists of eight buildings covering nearly 700,000 square feet across a 22-acre campus in Denver’s Central Park neighbourhood. It can conduct more than 32,000 training events annually and operates 24 hours per day on 362 days each year.
• United said the facility can train up to 860 pilots per day and serves as the sole training centre for its nearly 18,000 active pilots as well as newly hired pilots.
• United has hired more than 9,500 pilots since announcing its United Next strategy in 2021. The airline had hired 700 pilots during 2026 as of August 20 and said it plans to recruit hundreds more before year-end.
• Phase two is planned to break ground in 2027 on two parcels of land near Denver International Airport that United purchased in 2023. Denver City Council approved the airline’s rezoning request in July 2026, and United expects the additional training facility to become operational around 2030 alongside the existing campus.
• United invested more than $145 million in the training building that opened in 2024 and has invested $370 million in the Denver Flight Training Center since 2016. More than 300 positions were created following the 2024 building opening, while more than 1,600 of United’s 11,400-plus Denver employees currently work at the training centre across 24 departments.
• United’s fleet comprised 1,552 mainline and regional aircraft at June 30, 2026. Its 1,122-aircraft mainline fleet included 96 Boeing 777s, 88 Boeing 787s, 53 Boeing 767s, 61 Boeing 757s, 283 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, 329 Boeing 737-700/800/900s, 141 Airbus A319/A320s and 71 A321neo/XLR aircraft; another 430 aircraft operated in the regional fleet.
• United’s July 2026 fleet plan projected the mainline fleet reaching 1,173 aircraft by year-end 2026, including 323 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, 100 Boeing 787s and 88 Airbus A321neo/XLR aircraft. The planned fleet growth increases the requirement for qualification, differences, recurrent and instructor capacity across the airline’s training system.

Statements

• “United pilots are the best aviators in the world, and the pace at which our team has completed this project is an example of making investments that support our high standard of excellence,” said Scott Kirby, Chief Executive Officer at United Airlines.
• “This expansion reflects the strength of a partnership built over more than four decades. We're proud to support United with the training technology, expertise and reliability needed to prepare pilots at scale and we look forward to supporting its training needs for years to come,” said Matthew Bromberg, President and Chief Executive Officer at CAE.

Source: United Airlines