United Airlines Begins Construction on New $16M State-of-the-Art Inflight Training Center in Fairfax County

Fairfax County, Virginia (November 25, 2024) – United Airlines has invested $16 million to open a new 20,000-square-foot state-of-the-art Inflight Training Center in Fairfax County, Virginia near the airline’s hub at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). Construction is underway on the new center that is anticipated to open in 2025.

The center will provide safety and service training for up to 650 United flight attendants every month. The new center will include classrooms, cabin and door trainers, and a mock fuselage to practice the safe evacuations of the aircraft and other emergency management situations.

“I want to thank and congratulate United for choosing Fairfax County as the location for this world-class training facility. Not only will this be beneficial to the growing regional flight attendant workforce but for the overall growth of air travel to and from the Greater Washington region,” said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey C. McKay. “The national and global connectivity that United provides with its more than 250 daily flights from the Washington Dulles International Airport is vital to our local and regional economic vitality.”

The new training center will accommodate the recurrent training needs of United’s growing flight attendant workforce. The facility will be the training home for flight attendants supporting United operations at Washington, D.C. area airports, including IAD, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI).

“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,” said John Slater, United’s Senior Vice President of Inflight Services. “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.”

As United grows its flight attendant community over the coming years, this facility is another example of the airline’s commitment to provide the latest and most modern training resources and support. The Fairfax County facility follows last year’s opening of United’s expanded and renovated global inflight training center in Houston.

“We are excited and honored that United has chosen to locate their new, state-of-the-art training facility in Fairfax County,” said Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA). “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.” 

United has continued to be the largest airline in the world as measured by available seat miles, and locally is the D.C. region’s largest carrier offering more flights and destinations than any other airline.

Nearly 40 years ago, United began hub operations at Washington Dulles International Airport. Today, United operates nearly 250 daily flights to approximately 100 destinations around the world from Dulles and the airline is set to open a new 435,000-square-foot concourse at Dulles in 2026.

###

 About Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA)

FCEDA promotes Fairfax County as one of the world’s top locations for business and talent, and offers site location and business development assistance, and connections with county and state government agencies, to help companies locate and expand in Fairfax County. FCEDA is headquartered in Tysons, Fairfax County’s largest business district, and maintains offices in key global business centers: Bangalore/Mumbai, Berlin, London, Los Angeles, Seoul, and Tel Aviv. For more information about FCEDA, visit old.fairfaxcountyeda.org, or follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and YouTube.