United Airlines is building a new facility to train its flight attendants based at Dulles International Airport and elsewhere in the D.C. region.
Construction is now underway on the 20,000-square-foot Inflight Training Center, a $16 million investment that’s expected to open sometime next year, the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) announced yesterday (Monday).
Located at 14111 Park Meadow Drive in Chantilly, per county permits, the center will feature classrooms, cabin and door trainers, and a mock fuselage where trainees can practice aircraft evacuations and other emergency situations, according to a press release.
It will support safety and service training for up to 650 United Airlines flight attendants every month. While the airline’s regional base is at Dulles Airport, the new center will also provide training for workers at Reagan National Airport in Arlington and Baltimore Thurgood Marshall Airport.
“At United, we have the industry’s best flight attendants, and we’re thrilled to be opening a new best-in-class facility in support of their ongoing training right in the backyard of our Washington Dulles hub,” United Senior Vice President of Inflight Services John Slater said. “This new training center is yet another step in our long-term investment in our people and our commitment to growth here in the Greater Washington region.”
United has similar training facilities for its flight attendants around the country, opening its biggest location in the world at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport last year. The airline also opened its largest training facility for pilots in Denver in February.
Offering nearly 250 daily flights to approximately 100 destinations, Dulles has served as United’s hub in the D.C. area for nearly 40 years now, according to the FCEDA.
The airline’s presence will only expand in the coming years with a new concourse under construction and expected to open in 2026. United has also been adding new flights to both international and domestic destinations from Dulles.
Officials with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority are projecting an increase in total passengers at both Dulles and Reagan National next year, continuing air travel’s resurgence after the turbulence of the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
United’s decision to build a training facility in Chantilly will be beneficial for the growth of its workforce and for air travel in the D.C. region, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said in a statement.
“We are excited and honored that United has chosen to locate their new, state-of-the-art training facility in Fairfax County,” FCEDA President and CEO Victor Hoskins said. “We look forward to continuing to support United in their growth journey as they ramp up their efforts to upskill, reskill and train the talent pool of the future.”
