In late October 2016, United Airlines, in partnership with the City of Houston and Houston Airports, broke ground on the airline’s new United Technical Operations Center (UTOC) at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). The project is progressing extremely well and will ultimately add approximately 200,000 square feet of additional hangar capacity for maintaining widebody aircraft, in addition to a new warehouse distribution center, technical services building and administrative offices.

United Airlines is the largest airline operating within Houston Airports, with well over 500 daily flights from Houston to more than 180 destinations around the world.

The UTOC-Houston has three primary phases:

• Phase 1 includes Hangar X (185,850 square feet), to be used by Line Maintenance and supporting organizations and can accommodate two widebodies plus a narrowbody, and a ~40,000-square-foot annex with offices for Technical Services personnel (engineers and others). This facility also includes significant work developing adjacent apron and taxilanes. The expected completion date is the fourth quarter of 2019.
• Phase 2 involves the renovation of our stores building serving both the Line Maintenance and Base Maintenance operations at IAH. The expected completion date is the fourth quarter of 2019.
• Phase 3 involves renovation of Hangar E, and incorporating it into the adjacent (Hangars A and G) Base Maintenance operation, and its associated shops. The expected completion date is the first quarter of 2020.

UTOC has many benefits. It will enable United to consolidate its Line Maintenance and Base Maintenance operations in a complex that provides far greater efficiency and flexibility. It also brings together on-site employees from all critical support organizations such as engineering.

United is also replacing or renovating a number of aging structures and improving the infrastructure. Opening UTOC will also enable the organization to relocate a satellite Base Maintenance operation from William P. Hobby Airport (HOU). At UTOC, employees will work in state-of-the-art facilities that emphasize safety and efficiency and that are designed to foster an even greater degree of teamwork.

“Houston is one of our largest hubs and maintenance stations, and one of the few that combines Base and Line operations,” said Technical Operations Senior Vice President Kris Bauer. “UTOC will greatly enhance our ability to improve safety and reliability and customer satisfaction. Our teams who maintain the aircraft between flights and those handling the longer-duration checks and modifications will finally be co-located with the support professionals and shops, parts, tooling and other resources.”

“From the Airframe Overhaul and Repair perspective, we’re excited to see IAH Technical Operations grow to support our fleet of aircraft here,” said IAH/HOU Airframe Overhaul and Repair Managing Director Benny King. “The icing on the cake is having the opportunity to provide our internal customer Line Maintenance with direct support, being right next door to Hangar X in what will be a refurbished Hangar E.

“This hangar will have the flexibility of special service route, light and heavy check aircraft maintenance, along with the current heavy check work in Hangars A and G. With the HOU move, we will also build a new support shop to provide on-wing or shop level support.”