United Airlines’ new wholly-owned subsidiary, United Aviate Academy, has leased a state-of-the-art training facility and a fleet of Cirrus aircraft at Phoenix Goodyear Airport. The inaugural class of 30 student pilots will begin classes on Monday, December 6, 2021.
On Friday (December 3, 2021), United Airlines announced that their wholly-owned subsidiary, United Aviate Academy, has leased a state-of-the-art facility and a fleet of Cirrus aircraft at Phoenix Goodyear Airport in Arizona. The inaugural class of 30 student pilots will begin training on Monday, December 6, 2021. Students will be starting a rigorous year-long program designed to set them up for a career that reflects United’s high standards for professionalism, safety and guest experience. United Aviate Academy received over 7,500 applications from aspiring pilots from around the country in less than six months. Once training at the academy is completed, students will build flight and leadership experience while working within the Aviate pilot development system at partner universities, professional flight training organizations and United Express carriers.
In Friday’s announcement, United’s Chief Pilot and Board Member of the United Aviate Academy’s Board, Mary Ann Schaffer, said,
“We are thrilled to welcome our first class of students to the academy’s new home at Phoenix Goodyear Airport. The facility ensures we have the resources to expand our training capabilities and that the next generation of aviators will receive industry-leading training toward their goal of becoming a pilot for United Airlines.”
After the inaugural class, the academy anticipates welcoming between 25-50 new students monthly, training at least 500 students annually. United Airlines’ currently expects to hire at least 10,000 pilots by 2030.
United Aviate Academy’s 340,000 square-foot facility at Phoenix Goodyear Airport, which is leased from the city of Phoenix, will provide aspiring pilots with industry-leading resources, equipment and accommodations. The facility was previously home to Lufthansa Aviation training (LAT), and United Aviate Academy will sublease part of the facility to LAT, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lufthansa and fellow Star Alliance partner.
United Airlines’ shared purpose is “Connecting People. Uniting the World.” In 2019, United and United Express® carriers operated over 1.7 million flights carrying over 162 million guests. United Airlines operates the most comprehensive network among North American carriers with mainland U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Shares in the company’s parent, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., are publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol ‘UAL.’
Source: United Airlines/PRNewswire