American Airlines will break ground Tuesday on the new state-of-the-art, 149,000-square-foot integrated operating center near the company’s headquarters. The new facility will be located near American’s headquarters and Flight Academy south of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. It will serve as the nerve center of American’s global network. The center will be named the Robert W. Baker Operations Center, named after a former vice chairman of the airline.
“Tomorrow will be an exciting day for American Airlines as we take another step forward in our integration,” said Doug Parker, American’s chairman and CEO in a news release. “It is most fitting that this new, state-of-the-art facility will bear the name of one of the most respected leaders in American’s history. Bob Baker was widely regarded for his commitment to safety, reliability and operational integrity. He is a great example for all of us at American and we are honored to have his name on this extremely important facility.”
The employees who will ultimately work in the two-story facility will manage a global, complex and fast-moving network of people, aircraft, airports, facilities and airspace. Specific functions of the new Integrated Operations Center will include Flight Dispatch, Crew Scheduling, Maintenance Operations Control, Weight and Balance Planning, System Customer Service, Flight Planning Support, and Emergency Planning and Response. The building has been designed to withstand winds associated with an EF3 tornado (165-185 mph). It is anticipated to be completed by the third quarter of 2015.The architectural design firm for the project is Corgan and the general contractor is Holder Construction.