Delta Air Lines has opened a new $50 million pilot training center in Salt Lake City, marking its largest Flight Operations infrastructure investment in over a decade. With four full-motion simulators, this facility enhances training accessibility for pilots based in the western U.S.
In 2024, Delta Air Lines recognized as one of the largest airlines globally, undertook the significant initiative of establishing a new pilot training facility. While the company's headquarters are situated in Atlanta, Georgia, Delta Air Lines has demonstrated considerable interest through its ongoing investments in Salt Lake City. Over a month after the December 2024 ribbon-cutting ceremony, January 12th, 2025, marked the first day of pilot training classes at the new center. To learn more about the new center, we sat down with Berj Alexanian, Manager of Public Affairs, and Steve Sage, Director of Flight Simulator Support, to discuss how Utah fits into Delta Air Lines' goals and what makes Salt Lake City important to the company.
This center, which cost Delta more than $50 million, represents its biggest investment in Flight Operations infrastructure in over a decade. Curious about the facility's construction, we asked Sage about any difficulties Delta may have faced. Sage said the construction of the new facility "had gone extremely well” and that they were “actually able to get started a good bit earlier than we had planned.”
He continued by adding that the construction had gone “faster than planned, and we were able to open the facility ahead of schedule.”
What is different about this center?
Sage said the largest difference is the size difference between Salt Lake and Atlanta. “In Atlanta, we have 34 simulator bays, and in addition to those 34 simulator bays, we have spaces for fixed-based training devices, flight training devices, and procedure trainers. So there are an additional 34 devices that are not motion-based, like the full flight simulators.”
In comparison, Sage added, “One of the big differences is in Atlanta, it is a corporate campus and headquarters, so we have all of our other functions here. All of these spaces are integrated into buildings that are part of the corporate campus,” and “the Salt Lake facility only has four simulator bays and four rooms for lower level procedure trainers, so it's much, much smaller in size at this point. However, there is space on that property to expand, which we hope to do in the future.”
These four full-movement simulators, according to Sage, include the Airbus A320, the Airbus A350, and the Boeing 737, with the fourth yet to be decided Sage commented, “The two biggest fleet type groups in the west at this point are the A320 and the 737, so there's a good chance that we would be looking at those two as a possibility.”
What makes Salt Lake City so special for Delta?
Home to more than 5,000 Delta employees, Salt Lake City, as described by Alexanian, “is an extremely important place for us. It is a place where we have so many of our employees work and live and we're not just engaged in the community, we're a part of it. Salt Lake City is one of the most important Western hubs for us because it allows us to expand; there's room for growth. There are ways we can connect Salt Lake City to the world and vice versa.”
But this center is not just about servicing Salt Lake City but the wider western seaboard. Therefore, the company expects to spend $100,000 monthly on hotel rooms in Salt Lake City for the 350 pilots expected to visit this center each month in 2025.
Now that pilot training has begun, many within Delta Air Lines are speaking positively about the facility. One such is Delta First Officer Thomas Ventura, who shared, “It’s the most celebratory CQ (continuing qualification) I’ve ever attended, and it just so happens to be my first one at Delta. From the moment we left the hotel to the moment we stepped inside the new simulator – you can feel the excitement and preparation that has gone into today’s (inaugural) training events.”
Another First Officer, Adam Markel, shared, “Our Salt Lake City Training Center represents Delta’s commitment to West Coast operations and its pilots. Traveling to Salt Lake City is much easier than traveling to Atlanta for training, allowing us to stay within a similar circadian rhythm…and the hotel accommodations are also top-notch.” Even Jim Combs, a flight simulator instructor with Delta Professional Services, added, “Today [Jan. 12] is a great day for Delta and DPS (Delta Professional Services), but it’s an even better day for our pilots who live near Delta’s western hubs. As a Salt Lake City resident, I’m personally thrilled to see this training facility come to life and to know that it will benefit future generations of Delta pilots.”
Overall, Delta Air Lines has made it clear that they are invested in Salt Lake City, not just with the continual addition of routes, including Seoul, in June 2025, but in its economy with the addition of this training center and its continued expansion plans.
For more information, visit Delta News Hub.