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United Completes First Phase of Denver Pilot Training Expansion

Boosting simulator capacity at the Central Park campus, the new CAE equipment strengthens United’s ability to train large numbers of pilots and supports plans for a second Denver‑area training center.

Overview

  • United completed phase one on Thursday, adding 40 CAE training devices and raising the Denver campus to 86 devices total with 52 full‑motion simulators and 34 fixed training units.
  • The expanded 22‑acre, eight‑building campus can now train up to 860 pilots per day and handle about 32,000 training events a year, serving roughly 18,000 current and newly hired United pilots.
  • United and CAE said the center operates nearly continuously and is the airline’s sole pilot training hub, which concentrates initial qualifications and recurrent simulator sessions every nine months in Denver.
  • The airline has invested about $370 million in the campus since 2016, including more than $145 million in the newest building, and the expansion has created over 300 jobs at the training center and more than 1,600 local staff roles overall.
  • Denver rezoned parcels United bought near DEN in July 2026 and the airline expects to break ground on a second training facility in 2027 with operations targeted around 2030 to meet long‑term pilot and fleet growth needs.