Delta Opens $50 Million Pilot Training Facility

Center in Salt Lake City will host up to 1,000 training events per month.

Inside Delta’s new Salt Lake City pilot training center. [Credit: Delta]

Delta Air Lines debuted its pilot training facility in Salt Lake City on Tuesday. The 50,000-square-foot center near Salt Lake City International Airport (KSLC) is the airline’s first “significant” pilot training facility since the one it opened outside Atlanta in 1968.

The new facility is set to bolster pilot training capacity and provide a more convenient location for pilots based in Delta’s Western hubs, the carrier said in a news release. It will host over 1,000 training events monthly.

“This 50,000-square-foot training center is really about the future,” said John Laughter, Delta executive vice president and chief of operations, in a news release. “There’s a great opportunity to improve not only great quality of training, but quality of life, too, and have our pilots have a really great training center to come to here.”

Delta’s new Salt Lake City pilot training center [Credit: Delta Ari Lines]

According to Delta, the $50 million facility has room to accommodate up to four full-motion simulators. It has seven classrooms and 10 briefing rooms as well. The carrier also maintains a flight attendant training facility in Salt Lake City.

So far this year, Delta has hired nearly 1,000 new pilots, per Future and Active Pilot Advisors data. The airline will continue hiring in 2025.


Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

Ryan Ewing

Ryan is Sr. Director of Digital for Firecrown's Aviation Group. In 2013, he founded AirlineGeeks.com, a leading trade publication covering the airline industry. Since then, his work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the airline industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Previously, he worked for a Part 135 operator and later a major airline. Ryan is also an Adjunct Instructor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Pilot in aircraft
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