Southwest Airlines is expanding its pilot training center at its home base in Dallas.
The 141,000-square-foot, three-story building will open at Southwest's corporate campus near Dallas Love Field in fall 2020, the company said Monday. It will add space for additional flight simulators, pilot briefing and training rooms and room for more training equipment.
The Dallas Morning News reports the new building expands on a $250 million project finished last year which housed a new flight operations center along with some pilot training facilities.
"This expansion allows us to plan for the future while continuing our commitment to provide the industry's best training to our growing Pilot workforce," said Alan Kasher, Southwest's vice president of flight operations. "This investment paves the way to allow for training of more pilots at any given time as well as prepares Southwest for future pilot growth."
"I'm happy to see such an iconic Dallas-based company continue to expand in its home city," Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said in the airline's news release. "Southwest continues to be one of Dallas' best corporate partners, providing high-paying jobs to thousands who live and work in our city."
Southwest told the Morning News it did not receive government incentives for the new building.
