DENVER – United Airlines said Thursday it has completed the first phase of an expansion of what it calls the world’s largest pilot training facility, adding capacity as the U.S. carrier continues to grow amid a surging global demand for more pilots.

The United Flight Training Center now has 86 CAE training equipment, including 52 full-motion flight simulators and 34 fixed training devices.

The facility can train up to 860 pilots a day and conduct more than 32,000 training events annually, the airline said.

Boeing’s 2026 Pilot and Technician Outlook projects the global commercial aviation industry will need about 674,000 new pilots over the next 20 years.

The 22-acre United facility has eight buildings and nearly 700,000 square feet of training space, equivalent to about 12 football fields. It is the sole training facility for United’s nearly 18,000 active pilots and all newly hired pilots.

United has hired more than 9,500 pilots, including 700 this year, since announcing its United Next growth strategy in 2021. The airline plans to hire hundreds more in the coming months.

The second phase of the Denver training center expansion is expected to begin next year and be operational around 2030.

United has invested $370 million in the center since 2016, including more than $145 million for a new building that opened in 2024.

Operating a fleet of more than 1,000 aircraft, United flies to over 350 destinations worldwide.