The FAA Is Recruiting Gamers to Help Fix Its Air Traffic Controller Shortage

In news presented by this presidential administration that surely was meant to impress us but is actually deeply concerning, the federal government’s attempt at solving the nationwide air traffic controller shortage seems to have begun and ended with recruiting gamers, based on the half-cocked theory that people who pl

Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, commended the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Wednesday for its recent hiring surge targeting video game players. Daniels told NewsNation, The Hill’s sister company, that gaming skills “absolutely” translate to working as an air traffic

The FAA has hired more than 2,000 candidates through the campaign and reached 94% of its fiscal year hiring goal

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy cheers hiring spree but others more skeptical: ‘They can’t just restart a new game’

The agency hired more than 2,000 air traffic controllers this year after a campaign targeting gamers -- and has already hit 94% of its recruitment goal, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced.

For more than a decade there has been a shortage of air traffic controllers in the U.S., which has resulted in flight delays and increased risks for air travelers. And the Department of Transportation (DOT) is looking to video game enthusiasts to help fill those gaps. The DOT first launched a program in 2025 to recruit