Southwest Airlines University, a 23,000-square-foot training facility for Southwest Airlines employees, opened its doors on Wednesday at a location adjacent to Denver International Airport.

Most Southwest employees working at DIA will use the new facility for training purposes, according to a news release. It will replace smaller facilities that were previously located at the airport. Pilots will continue to train at the Corporate Campus in Dallas, where the company is headquartered.

As of 2021, Southwest employed more than 4,300 people in Denver.

“Our new training center near DEN will support our internal training programs for our Ground Operations Employees and Denver-based Flight Attendants,” said Dan Landson, public relations advisor for Southwest in an emailed statement.

The new training facility will be a part of the “Colorado Aerotropolis,” which is a coalition attempting to turn the undeveloped land surrounding the airport into a “global business hotspot.” The development plans come from a collaboration between Adams County; the cities of Aurora, Brighton, Commerce City, Federal Heights, and Thornton; the City and County of Denver; and DIA.

The JAG Logistics Center, where the training facility is located, is the closest privately owned industrial development to the airport. The area is a confirmed Opportunity Zone and an Enterprise Zone, which refers to two separate designations by the state government which incentivizes development with tax breaks.

According to the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, an Opportunity Zone program gives tax incentives for investors in real estate projects and businesses in a low-income community. Enterprise Zones are similar and are designated in order to “encourage development in economically distressed areas of the state.”

“We appreciate this partnership and our new training center, which allows us to invest in our people by offering the latest tools, enhanced training environments, and functional spaces to maintain a focus on safety as we continue growing and serving the Denver community,” said Vice President Bobby Loeb, Southwest Airlines University at Southwest Airlines, in a news release.