United Airlines Wraps Up Phase One Expansion of Pilot Training Facility

In a bid to strengthen its network, United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL) is expanding its footprint beyond providing airline services to passengers to training pilots. To this end, United Airlines announced the completion of the first phase of expansion of the pilot training facility, adding 40 new CAE training devices (a combination of full-motion and fixed simulators) since 2022.

UAL’s chief executive officer (CEO), Scott Kirby, was accompanied by CAE's president and chief executive officer, Matthew Bromberg, along with other UAL and CAE leaders, to acknowledge the completion of phase one.

Kirby stated, "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."

Phase two of the expansion project is set to start next year and is anticipated to be operational by 2030.

UAL’s Flight Training Center Details

UAL’s Flight Training Center is located in the Central Park neighborhood of Denver. The facility is spread across 22 acres (almost 700,000 square feet of training space) and is the only training facility for the airline's nearly 18,000 active pilots and all newly hired pilots.

UAL's flight training center now has eight total buildings and a total of 86 CAE training devices: 52 state-of-the-art full-motion flight simulators and 34 fixed training devices. The center can conduct more than 32,000 training events annually and train up to 860 pilots per day. The facility operates 24 hours a day for 362 days a year.

UAL has started formal site building plans and expects groundbreaking on the next phase of the Flight Training Center expansion to begin on the new land in 2027, with the facility expected to be operational around 2030. The airline plans to supervise the additional Flight Training Center in conjunction with its current facility. 

The Center was originally constructed between 1966 and 1968 as part of the Stapleton Airport complex and has been used as UAL’s main pilot training facility since then. Since 2016, UAL has invested $370 million in the Flight Training Center overall.

UAL’s Expansion in Denver

United Airlines has spent nearly $1 billion in investments since 2021 to boost the customer experience in the region, as Denver is one of its fastest-growing hubs. In 2025, nearly $40 million was spent on hotel room nights in Denver for pilots visiting the training facility, with an expectation to spend nearly $50 million on hotel room nights in 2026.

UAL hired more than 1,400 people in Denver last year and plans to hire more than 1,300 people in 2026.

To Conclude

United Airlines continues to be the popular career destination choice for pilots, given its largest widebody fleet in North America and the global network and hubs across the United States. UAL has hired more than 9,500 pilots since announcing its United Next growth strategy in 2021. In 2026, UAL has hired 700 pilots so far, with plans to hire hundreds more this year.

Given this encouraging backdrop, the expansion seems to be a strategic business step on UAL’s part, reflecting its strength in training pilots.

UAL's Zacks Rank and Stocks to Consider

Presently, UAL carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Investors interested in the Zacks Transportation sector may consider Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. EXPD and Seanergy Maritime Holdings SHIP as well. 

Expeditors currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

EXPD has an expected earnings growth rate of 28.6% for 2026.  The company has an encouraging earnings surprise history. Its earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 17.15%.

Seanergy Maritime Holdings currently sports a Zacks Rank #1.

SHIP has an expected earnings growth rate of more than 100% for the current year. The company has an encouraging earnings surprise history. Its earnings topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 38%.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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