News

United Airlines Acquires Land Near DIA to Expand Pilot Training

August 8, 2023

Mile High CRE is reporting that United Airlines has acquired land near Denver International Airport for a pilot training center. Below is an excerpt with a link to the full article.

According to the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), United Airlines has purchased 113 acres of undeveloped land at 17671 E. 64th Ave. in Denver to expand its Flight Training Center. The project is expected to create 240 new jobs in Colorado. According to the Denver Post, United paid $33 million for the parcel of land.

The announcement comes just over a year after United shared it was investing more than $100 million to expand its Denver-based Flight Training Center. The expansion shared in 2022 was to construct a new four-story building and add 155,000 square feet to United’s 23-acre campus.

“The expansion of United Airlines’ Flight Training Center is an extraordinary continuation of United’s commitment to Denver,” said the President of the Metro Denver EDC, Raymond H. Gonzales. “It will serve as an exceptional pipeline for our region’s talent and a catalyst for growth within the already-thriving aviation industry in Colorado. Over the past five years, we’ve seen employment in Colorado’s aviation industry increase by almost 18%, and this expansion of United’s training center will help fill this growing market with talented pilots and professionals.”

The United facility expansion will be built on land provided by L.C. Fulenwider, Inc. “We at L.C. Fulenwider, Inc. are delighted to support the growth of United’s flight training operations in Denver and welcome them to our development at Pena Station. Our partnership with United Airlines, which is already the biggest employer in Denver, builds upon our history of successful projects with forward-thinking collaborators who bolster the economic base of the Denver Community,” said the Chairman and CEO of L.C. Fulenwider Inc., Cal Fulenwider.

The expansion of United’s Flight Training Center is projected to create 240 jobs with an average annual wage of $186,500, which is 208% of the average annual wage in Denver County. The new positions from this expansion would include flight instructors, simulation technicians and engineers to the training facility.

Read the full article at Mile High CRE