HOUSTON – It takes an entire army of people just to get your plane off the ground and on its way to your next vacation.

Houston’s largest airline, United Airlines, is investing $177 million to help make that process smoother, quicker and more efficient.

The investment is in the form of a new 140,000-square-foot Ground Service Equipment (GSE) Maintenance Facility.

What is that?

“Choreography work of dance basically,” said Bobby Brasseaux, a member of the United Airlines Aircraft MOVE team.

Ground service equipment is everything you see on the airport ground that’s not an airplane.

“Anything that has an engine is mobile, is involved with the aircraft, is our responsibility to maintain,” said Neal Chvatal, a ground services equipment mechanic with United Airlines. “All the tugs that push the aircraft, the tractors that pull the luggage, cargo loaders, de-icers, power units, air conditioning units.”

All of that and the 100 mechanics at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) are about to get a brand-new building that is aimed at two things: being environmentally friendly and making the operation better.

United has more electric ground service equipment at Bush Airport than any other of their airports. The more than 1,000 pieces of electric equipment is an eco-friendly alternative to the diesel predecessor.

Some of that equipment is used to help move around airplanes.

“It is an addiction,” Brasseaux said.

He’s been with the airline for nearly four decades, pushing massive jets back and forth.

With fuel being expensive, tugs are used to relocate aircraft headed for maintenance or short-term parking from the gates they pull up to.

Roughly 500 United flights are coming through Bush Airport every single day.

Needless to say, that’s a lot of moving.

Bobby Brassuaux: “Out of those 500 departures. We’re moving about 130 airplanes.”

Gage Goulding: “That has to be a pretty cool feeling, moving around an entire airplane with just a couple of buttons.”

Bobby Brassuaux: “The first couple of times, it’s quite scary, if I’m being honest with you.”

Bobby operates what’s called a Super Tug, which hauls airplanes long distances.

Smaller tugs are used to push the airplane back from the gate. It’s that backward jolt you feel when the flight attendants are giving the safety briefing just before takeoff.

From the seats inside the terminal looking out at the airfield, it’s a beautiful symphony of orchestrated chaos conducted by thousands of people who kind of like not being the center of attention.

“Just do our jobs and nobody knows but 24 hours a day we’re here,” Chvatal said.

United Airlines is slated to break ground on the new facility on March 25 with an opening scheduled for 2027.