United has officially opened a new aircraft maintenance facility at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) that modernizes maintenance infrastructure, facilitates efficient aircraft movement, and streamlines logistics of employees, support equipment, tooling, and parts while supporting the airline’s overall growth in Los Angeles.
United executives were joined by members from the city and LAWA for a grand opening ceremony celebrating the $352 million state-of-the-art facility that’s nearly the size of three football fields or enough room for two, double-aisle aircraft or six single-aisle aircraft at a time.
“This new aircraft maintenance center is yet another investment United is making in the Los Angeles community, and particularly one that will allow us to operate a reliable airline and offer flights to exciting places across the globe,” said Tom Doxey, senior vice president of United’s Technical Operations. “This facility is not only a key component that will allow us to efficiently support our operations, but a state-of-the-art facility that will make the employees who work here proud to call United their home.”
The new maintenance facility replaces and consolidates two facilities United previously operated at LAX that were located a mile and a half apart. The facility will be home to more than 500 United employees and includes a parts warehouse, an engine buildup shop and an extensive ground service equipment maintenance shop. More than 800 construction workers were employed for the building of this facility.
“We’re incredibly proud of the role we play connecting the Southern California community to the world,” said Jonna McGrath, managing director of Airport Operations at United’s LAX hub. “United has served the Los Angeles community for more than a half century and the actions we are undertaking will have a transformational effect on our customer experience for years to come.”
United recently announced the purchase of 270 new aircraft, the largest order in the company’s history, that will drive growth in all the carrier’s U.S. hubs, including LAX. The aircraft order will help the airline grow the number of LA flights, give local travelers access to more inflight features and seat choice, and will help create up to 1,400 well-paid jobs in the region across various workgroups. In the past year, United has already added nine brand new flights from LA to Latin America, a new flight directly to JFK in New York City, two new flights to Florida destinations and plans to operate more than 120 daily flights from LAX this December.
“LAWA and United Airlines have a long, shared commitment to innovation, exceptional guest experiences, and the highest level of safety and security for guests at LAX,” said Justin Erbacci, Chief Executive Officer, LAWA. “The planning and construction of the new Technical Operations Center is the latest example of United’s commitment to LAX, and we congratulate their team on this impressive facility.”
“One of the important roles of the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners is to be a good steward of Los Angeles World Airports’ finances and also the environment,” said Commissioner Gabriel Eshaghian. “This state-of-the-art facility was built at no cost to LAWA, and will help improve airfield efficiency by consolidating United’s maintenance in one location, making this a win-win for LAX and United Airlines. We look forward to our continued partnership as United continues to invest in LAX and the Los Angeles community we serve.”
LA is one of United’s most important coastal gateways with convenient access to destinations throughout the Pacific and, increasingly, Latin America. Combined with the company’s recent $573 million terminal renovation and new United Club and Polaris lounge, United has invested nearly $1 billion at LAX since 2016, underscoring its importance to the airline’s network. United operates every flight from LAX powered in part with sustainable biofuel.