The FAA Turned To Gamers For Air Traffic Control Jobs — Thousands Were Hired
The FAA Turned To Gamers For Air Traffic Control Jobs — Thousands Were Hired
Abigail Archer Tue, August 11, 2026 at 8:46 PM UTC
0
The FAA Turned To Gamers For Air Traffic Control Jobs — Thousands Were Hired ©(Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
The Federal Flight Administration (FFA) has hired thousands of new air traffic controllers after targeting recruitment at young "gamers" earlier this year.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) unveiled its campaign to video gamers shortly before its annual air traffic control hiring window opened on April 17. At the time, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the agency needed to adapt to reach another generation of air traffic controllers, according to a press release. He added that the campaign would tap into "a growing demographic of young adults who have many of the hard skills it takes to be a successful controller."
Duffy praised the campaign's success in a Sunday X post, saying it had broken multiple hiring records.
"In April, we launched a NEW CAMPAIGN to recruit video gamers as air traffic controllers — and supercharged the entire hiring process to get the BEST & BRIGHTEST in faster. The results are HISTORIC," Duffy wrote.
Duffy announced the FFA had met 94 percent of its hiring goal. He also said the agency had hired over 2,000 candidates, the most in a single year, through "the most streamlined hiring process."
A video embedded in the X post appears to show gamers expressing excitement about the opportunity.
"You can merge gaming with aviation? Why not? It's like the best of both worlds," one man said.
Advertisement
"I grew up playing a lot of flight simulators. I've always loved airplanes," another added.
The DOT cited feedback from air controller exit interviews in its initial announcement, noting that several controllers reported that gaming helped them think quickly, focus, and manage complex situations. The agency also emphasized that the campaign was focused "on reaching talented young people pursuing alternative career paths, many of whom are active in gaming," since only about 25 percent of air traffic controllers have college degrees.
The campaign comes amid a long-term shortage of air traffic controllers. The number of air traffic controllers in the country has dropped by approximately six percent over the past decade, according to a January report published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. This decrease has corresponded with a ten percent increase in flights relying on the air traffic control system, resulting in "staffing shortages at critical facilities," the office said.
High-profile crashes, such as the collision between an airplane and a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in March, highlighted the shortage. (RELATED: Airplane Carrying 224 Passengers Hits, Kills Pedestrian During Takeoff As Engine Catches Fire)
"In the best of times, air traffic controls and air traffic controllers are under a great deal of stress," Alan Diehl, a former federal crash investigator, told NBC News after the crash. "These are people with very high cognitive levels. They're carefully selected, extensively trained. And one of the problems is there is a shortage of 3,000 of them in this country right now."
But the FAA has made progress. In April, the agency had already onboarded nearly 1,200 new controllers, reaching almost 50 percent of its hiring goal for Fiscal Year 2026. The FAA also transitioned candidates into its Oklahoma City Air Traffic Controller Academy four times faster in 2025 than it had previously.
The agency continues to emphasize safety even as it works to streamline the process.
"Safety is the FAA's top priority, and that starts with hiring top talent and equipping them with world-class tools," said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford in the press release announcing the campaign. "We need the best people, the best training, and the best tools because we expect the best results."
Source: “AOL Money”
