DALLAS—Southwest Airlines Co. announced construction is underway on an expansion project for the carrier's Leadership and Aircrew Development/LEAD Center on its headquarters campus. It is anticipated to open in Fall 2020.

The three-story 141,000-square-foot expansion project will add space for eight additional flight simulators, up from its current 18 simulators, additional briefing rooms and space for smaller flight training devices. Between continuing qualification training, captain upgrade classes and new hire classes, the carrier trains an average of 850 pilots monthly at the LEAD center.

"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."

The expansion project is being led by McCarthy Building Companies which will serve as construction manager at risk. The company recently completed construction of the original LEAD Center which includes an office building housing the airline's operational teams and a parking garage. The McCarthy teams faced unique challenges while building the training center at Southwest Airlines' campus headquarters.

"The LEAD Center was designed and built to protect the expensive equipment it houses against natural and man-made disasters, and McCarthy had to determine the right materials to meet that need," Joe Jouvenal, McCarthy's senior vice president, tells GlobeSt.com. "The LEAD Center is built with a pre-cast hardened structure designed to withstand the forces of an F3 tornado, that is, wind speeds of 210 mph. It also includes a blast slab, two-layer roof and a 20-by-20-foot elevator, which is the largest elevator ever built in a flight simulator facility. Additionally, the team added additional reinforcing and large columns to increase structural rigidity."

The expanded development will bring additional high-wage jobs to Dallas, says its mayor.

"I'm happy to see such an iconic Dallas-based company continue to expand in its home city," said Eric Johnson, Dallas mayor. "Southwest continues to be one of Dallas' best corporate partners, providing high-paying jobs to thousands who live and work in our city."

Dallas-Fort Worth's industrial sector continues to see strong market fundamentals through the third quarter of 2019. Vacancy rates fell slightly to 6.7% for the market, with demand continuing to outpace supply, based on preliminary statistics from Cushman & Wakefield.

Net absorption for the third quarter of 2019 totaled 5.7 million square feet, bringing year-to-date net absorption to 17.7 million square feet. Cushman & Wakefield defines absorption as when the tenant takes occupancy.

Instant Insights /

Construction is Underway on Southwest's Expanded LEAD Center

Related Stories

Recommended For You