FAA Looks to Gamers to Help Address Air Traffic Controller Shortage

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has faced ongoing challenges in maintaining a sufficient number of air traffic controllers, with the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) reporting a roughly 6 percent decline in the workforce over the past decade. In response, the Trump administration is launching a recruitment initiative aimed at gamers as the annual air traffic control hiring window opens on April 17th.

Despite this new campaign, the path to getting qualified candidates through training remains complex. The Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) highlights significant hurdles, including a lack of qualified instructors, limited training capacity, an outdated curriculum, and high failure rates among trainees.

An FAA promotional video features clips from popular games like Madden NFL, Fortnite, and League of Legends, touting an average salary of $155,000 per year after three years and claiming, “you’ve been training for this.”

In a press release, the FAA noted that air traffic controllers mentioned in exit interviews that gaming enhanced their ability to think quickly, maintain focus, and manage complex situations. The FAA’s application process encourages potential candidates to “level up” their careers. This isn’t the first time gamers have been targeted for these roles; the Biden administration previously initiated a “Level Up” campaign in 2021, inviting gamers, women, and minority groups to consider becoming air traffic controllers.

Sean Duffy, the Secretary of Transportation under Trump, has prioritized increasing the number of air traffic controllers and announced a plan to “supercharge” hiring shortly after taking office last year. That initiative, which concluded in March 2025, garnered over 10,000 applications and led to around 600 trainees entering the Controller Training Academy, according to the OIG. The GAO also pointed out that some attrition during the hiring process could be avoided, as the process can be “difficult to navigate,” and candidates may accept other job offers before receiving an employment offer.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), representing air traffic controllers, expressed support for innovative strategies to broaden the candidate pool, including outreach to individuals with high-level skills, such as gamers, as stated by NATCA president Nick Daniels.