HOUSTON, Oct. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.
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SOURCE United Airlines