United Airlines, in partnership with the City of Houston and George Bush Intercontinental Airport, will break ground on a new United Technical Operations Center (UTOC) at the Houston hub. This project is the next phase in United’s expansion of maintenance and support facilities in Houston.
The development will add roughly 200,000 square feet of hangar space designed to support widebody aircraft maintenance. In addition to the hangars, the plan includes a warehouse distribution center, a technical services building and administrative offices to centralize operations and improve workflow.
“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, executive vice president and chief operations officer of United Airlines. “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.”
Valued at $162 million, the facility will accommodate Boeing 767s, 777s, 787s and Airbus A350s. It will offer an improved work environment with enhanced safety features and upgraded amenities for United’s maintenance technicians and support personnel.
The UTOC is designed to streamline operations by consolidating maintenance functions, placing engineers, technicians and aircraft in closer proximity. This consolidation is expected to increase efficiency, reduce aircraft downtime and support faster turnarounds for customers.
Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2018. Upon opening, the expanded facility is projected to create approximately 200 new jobs, strengthening United’s workforce in Houston and supporting the airline’s broader operational needs at the international hub.