Delta celebrated the grand opening of its new, state-of-the-art pilot training facility in Salt Lake City with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, attended by Delta leaders, Salt Lake City-based employees, local government officials and community members. Located near the Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), the facility is Delta’s latest investment in a key network hub and its first significant training facility investment outside of its Atlanta headquarters, which opened its first pilot training facility in 1968.
“This 50,000-square-foot training center is really about the future,” said John Laughter, E.V.P. and Chief of Operations. “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.”
The new facility will boost pilot training capacity and provide a closer, more convenient location for pilots in Delta’s western hubs. With thousands of pilots routed into the city for extended stays during training cycles throughout the year, the facility will also support the local economy.
“The significance of this training facility is not lost on Salt Lake City,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. “It’s a major step forward for our partnership and the development of Delta as an airline and Salt Lake City as a major capital city in the United States, and I look forward to the future of all the growth, the professionalism and the welcoming that this facility and our partnership ensures.”
Delta also maintains training facilities for flight attendants in SLC, supporting thousands of training events annually.
Delta is SLC’s largest global premium carrier, operating more flights than all other carriers combined with 240 peak-day flights to nearly 90 destinations across the globe, including Amsterdam, London, Paris and its recently announced nonstop service to Seoul, launching June 12, 2025.
Delta’s ongoing investments in the airport’s infrastructure have further strengthened its SLC presence, making it a premier domestic and international gateway. In 2020, Delta celebrated the opening of the 900,000-square-foot Concourse A, featuring 50 Delta gates and 19 new restaurants and shops. By 2027, the airline will add even more gates.
Facility features at a glance
The new SLC facility will host more than 1,000 training events every month. It features:
- 4 high ceiling bays to accommodate up to 4 full motion simulators
- 4 procedure trainers used for qualification training
- 10 briefing rooms
- 7 classrooms
- Door training and emergency equipment training spaces
- Best-in-class environmental & sustainability features throughout