The new building at United Airlines' Denver Flight Training Center will house additional simulators and training classrooms, part of an effort to hire and train thousands of new pilots in coming years
The FAA issued final paperwork clearing the return to service of 52 Pratt & Whitney-powered Boeing 777-200s operated by United Airlines, ending a grounding that has constrained the carrier’s widebody capacity over the last fifteen months.
The application for three of the remaining available slots would enhance United’s African offering by creating direct connections between the U.S. and South Africa capitals.
U.S. airlines were battling a pilot shortage well before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the crisis has exacerbated the challenge with no short-term solution in sight.
Updated fleet plans from two U.S.-based Boeing 787 operators include some 2022 deliveries but continue to slide units into future years amid ongoing uncertainty over when the FAA will allow resumption of customer hand-overs.
The investment is the third sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) deal in the portfolio of United Airlines Ventures, which is focused on investing in next-generation aviation technologies including SAF, hydrogen- and electric-powered aircraft.
United and Delta are both looking to acquire U.S.-South Africa frequencies, which are limited under the current air services agreement between the countries.
United hopes to begin flying between Washington and Cape Town from November but will face competition for the available weekly frequencies under the US-South Africa air services agreement.
