United Airlines, in partnership with the City of Houston and the Houston Airport System, will break ground today on the airline's new United Technical Operations Center (UTOC) at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
The project, which is the next phase of United's ongoing expansion of facilities at its Houston hub, will add approximately 200,000 square feet of additional hangar capacity for maintaining widebody aircraft, in addition to a new warehouse distribution center, technical services building and administrative offices.
Once completed, the $162 million facility will accommodate widebody aircraft, including Boeing 767s, 777s, 787s and Airbus A350s, and provide an improved work environment with better ergonomics, safety and efficiency for United's maintenance technicians and support personnel.
"With flights from Houston to destinations around the globe, this new facility and the employees who work here will provide critical support to our worldwide operations," said Greg Hart, United's, executive vice president and chief operations officer. "This significant investment in our Houston facilities will enable us to support more aircraft than ever before in Houston and allow us to return them to serving our customers more quickly, while providing a workplace that our people can take pride in."
The new UTOC, which is expected to be completed in late 2018, will consolidate United's Houston maintenance facilities, placing engineers in the hangars adjacent to technicians and aircraft for optimal efficiency. In addition, the expanded facilities will generate approximately 200 new jobs.
"Once again, our strong partnership with United Airlines brings us to the beginning of another important project here at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. From work to build not one, but two new terminals, to now this new facility, United and the City of Houston prove that public-private partnerships benefit everyone involved," said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. "United recognizes the fact that Houston is a tremendous place to do business and they understand that this community embraces them and wants to see them succeed."
United In Houston
From Houston, United and United Express offer nearly 500 daily flights to more than 175 destinations around the world, including top business and leisure travel markets in Asia, Europe and the Americas. The Houston hub is United's premier gateway to Latin America, serving 51 nonstop destinations across Latin America and the Caribbean.
United is one of the city's largest employers, with more than 14,000 Houston-based employees.
About Houston Airport System
Houston Airports served more than 55 million passengers in 2015. Houston's three airports -- George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), William P. Hobby (HOU) and Ellington Airport (EFD) -- contribute more than $27.5 billion to the regional economy. IAH and HOU collectively provide nonstop flights to nearly 200 destinations worldwide. For more information, visit fly2houston.com. Get social with Houston Airports by following us on Twitter @IAH and @HobbyAirport.
About United
United Airlines and United Express operate more than 4,500 flights a day to 339 airports across five continents. In 2015, United and United Express operated more than 1.5 million flights carrying more than 140 million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates more than 720 mainline aircraft, and this year, the airline anticipates taking delivery of 21 new Boeing aircraft, including 737NGs, 787s and 777s, as well as six used Airbus A319 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 192 countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.