WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration is launching a recruitment campaign that targets video gamers as potential air traffic controllers to help address a longstanding staffing shortage, the agency and Department of Transportation said on Friday.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the FAA unveiled the initiative, which includes a video ad drawing parallels between gaming skills and air traffic control responsibilities. The annual hiring window for air traffic controller positions opens at 12:00 a.m. ET on April 17 and closes on April 27, according to the FAA’s hiring website and multiple reports.
The campaign encourages applicants “active in gaming” to apply, citing feedback from controller exit interviews in which several mentioned gaming as helping develop abilities to think quickly, stay focused and manage complexity, the FAA said in a statement. No college degree is required for the positions, which involve paid training. Applicants must generally be under 31 years old at the time of application.
The effort is part of broader “supercharged hiring” to reduce a shortage that has persisted for years. The Government Accountability Office has previously reported a decline in the number of air traffic controllers over the past decade, though exact current vacancy figures were not specified in Friday’s announcements. The average salary after three years on the job is approximately $155,000, according to the FAA.
The video ad uses gaming references and states: “You’ve been training for this … become an air traffic controller. It’s not a game. It’s a career,” as reported by outlets including CNN, BBC and Bloomberg. The FAA has previously targeted gamers in recruitment drives, including a 2021 effort.
As of Saturday, the FAA had not released additional details on how many positions it aims to fill in this hiring window or the success rate of prior gamer-targeted campaigns. The full application process and selection criteria, including rigorous testing and training, remain available on the FAA’s air traffic control hiring page. Outcomes of the current drive will depend on the number and qualifications of applicants who respond to the call.
