WASHINGTON, D.C. — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Friday that the Department of Transportation will launch a recruitment campaign targeting video-game players to fill air traffic controller positions. The department released a video aimed at gaming enthusiasts as part of an effort to hire close to 9,000 air traffic controllers by 2028.

"To reach the next generation of air traffic controllers, we need to adapt. This campaign's innovative communication style and focus on gaming taps into a growing demographic of young adults who have many of the hard skills it takes to be a successful controller," Duffy said.

The video asks gamers whether they are up for the challenge of becoming air traffic controllers and cautions that the job is not just a game but a career. It states that controllers will keep millions of people safe every day and advertises average salaries of up to $155,000 by the third year on the job. The median annual wage for air traffic controllers in 2024 was $144,580, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, though less experienced controllers at smaller airports earn closer to $60,000, according to aviation experts.

The campaign targets young people pursuing alternative career paths, many of whom are active gamers. More than 200 million people in the United States regularly play video games, according to the Department of Transportation. Only about 25% of air traffic controllers hold a traditional college degree, according to the department.

The U.S. has a shortage of air traffic controllers. The FAA employed 6% fewer controllers in fiscal year 2025 compared to fiscal year 2015, according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office released in December, while total flights increased by 10% between fiscal years 2015 and 2024. The FAA currently employs 11,000 air traffic controllers and has 4,000 trainees expected to enter service.

Newark Liberty International Airport experienced staffing shortages last year due to insufficient staffing at the Philadelphia air traffic control facility that manages flights into the airport. A government shutdown in November forced air traffic controllers to work without pay for more than a month, and some controllers decided to leave the profession entirely afterward.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators are examining whether an air traffic controller stepped away to answer an emergency phone call before an Air Canada flight collided with a firetruck on the runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, killing the two pilots. Investigators are also looking at whether staffing problems may have contributed to the collision.

The FAA hired more than 2,000 air traffic controllers in fiscal year 2025 and is halfway to its 2026 recruitment goal. Between January 2025 and September 2025, the DOT hired 20% more air traffic controllers than during the same period in the previous year. The FAA plans to hire 2,000 controllers in fiscal year 2025, 2,200 in 2026, 2,300 in 2027, and 2,400 in 2028, for a total of 8,900 new hires by the end of fiscal year 2028.

Prospective air traffic controllers must pass an aptitude test and obtain medical and security clearance before beginning training, according to the GAO. After meeting initial requirements, prospective controllers attend a four- to six-month training course at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City followed by extensive on-the-job training. The full certification process can take between two and six years.