DENVER — Every nine months, United Airlines' 12,000 pilots, including all new hires, arrive to their massive Flight Training Center (FTC) in Denver, where they train to remain up-to-date on certifications.
At any one time, 600 of those pilots could be training at the facility.
On Wednesday, people gathered to celebrate the grand opening of a big expansion to the center: a four-story building on 23 acres.
“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.
Currently, the FTC campus has 39 full-motion flight simulators and 15 "fixed training devices."
The additional building will raise the number to 52 simulators, and 28 fixed training devices. It'll also include classrooms, offices and more.
“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 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.
Statistics on the pilot shortage vary depending on the report. One such report recently published by international management consulting firm Oliver Wyman shows, among other projections, that North America will be short more than 12,000 pilots by 2023, which they report is 13% of the total demand.
Denver International Airport CEO Phillip Washington said this expansion is only part of keeping up with demand.
"I think the other thing is how we partner with United to recruit people," he said. “This is part of the solution to recruit more pilots."
He said they're partnering with United to look at communities of color for recruitment.
When it comes to the airport itself, Washington said there are several projects already underway, including the completion phase for the Great Hall Project, and adding 39 new gates, which Washington estimates will be finished before the end of this year.
As for the flight training center, the airline expects the expansion to be completed before the end of next year.
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