United Airlines now has the largest and most expensive in-flight training facility in Houston.

The largest Inflight Training Center for United has opened in Houston. It is a 56,000 square foot facility with new classrooms, extra cabin and door trainers, and a state-of-the-art aquatic centre with a 125,000-gallon pool and a mock fuselage to practise the safe evacuation of the aircraft in the unlikely event of a water landing. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner joined United CEO Scott Kirby at a ceremonial ribbon cutting event in Houston to officially open the new training center.

The $32 million expansion project more than doubles the available training space and supports the airline’s plan to hire and train a total of 15,000 people in 2023, including 4,000 flight attendants.

United plans to train more than 600 flight attendants per month at the newly expanded Houston facility and the expansion project is another example of United’s focus on long-term investments in infrastructure, tools and technology to support its United Next growth plan as well as the airline’s continued commitment to Houston.

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New United flight attendants will go through a six-week and a half training course at the Houston facility and then return every 18 months to stay current on their qualifications. The campus includes inflight service training spaces with mock seats, a 400+-seat auditorium and a public address room where trainees can practice their onboard announcements. The centerpiece of the building is a new Aquatic Center that includes a 125,000-gallon pool to practicing the safe evacuation of the plane in the unlikely event of a water landing.

As part of the construction of the facility, and in support of Mayor Turner’s climate action plan to build local storm-resilient infrastructure, United included an underground prefabricated storm detention vault that can hold more than 268,000 gallons of water and store stormwater runoff in large underground pipes or vaults.

United has operated for more than 70 years from its hub at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).and is one of the largest employers with over 11,000 local employees and plans to hire 1,800 more in 2023. The airline maintains a corporate office presence downtown and is the leading carrier at George Bush Intercontinental/Houston Airport (IAH), with about 400 flights per day and more direct flights to Latin America and the Caribbean than any other airline.