The U.S. National Aviation Administration's campaign to recruit gamers as air traffic controllers has successfully hired over 2,000 people, achieving 94% of its target number.

In April 2026, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched a recruitment campaign targeting gamers to address the shortage of air traffic controllers. This recruitment campaign has been successful, already hiring 2,000 gamers.

Play video games? You, too, could become an air traffic controller. - CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/video-gamer-air-traffic-controllers-faa-recruitment-sean-duffy/

When playing games, you repeatedly perform the act of 'reading a vast amount of information on the screen, planning your next move, and executing it.' This aligns with the skills required of air traffic controllers, and it can be said that gamers are constantly honing the ideal skills for becoming an air traffic controller.

Air traffic controllers are a well-compensated profession with an average annual salary of $140,000 (approximately 22 million yen), but in the United States, the number of personnel has decreased by about 6% in the past decade, resulting in a chronic shortage of personnel. In this situation, the FAA took notice of the abilities of gamers and launched a recruitment campaign targeting gamers on April 11, 2026.

Federal Aviation Administration is hoping gamers will be a solution to the shortage of air traffic controllers - GIGAZINE

The following video was released in conjunction with the campaign. It features footage of air traffic controllers in action, alongside clips from popular games such as Fortnite and League of Legends, and displays slogans such as 'Become an air traffic controller,' 'Protect millions of people's safety every day (and earn a lot of money),' and 'In three years, the average annual salary will be $155,000 (approximately 25 million yen).' At the end of the video, a message appears urging viewers to participate in the air traffic controller recruitment process, which will begin on July 17, 2026.

Air Traffic Control Hiring: It's Not a Game. It's a Career. - YouTube


On August 10, 2026, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy posted on X about the effectiveness of the gamer recruitment campaign. According to the post, they have successfully recruited a record 2,000 people so far, achieving 94% of their goal in record time. In addition, more than 2,000 promising candidates have begun training as interns.

🚨 GAME CHANGER

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 ✈️

✅ 94% of hiring goal met — fastest time ever to reach target… pic.twitter.com/gN3OGmEIBB

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) August 9, 2026

In an interview with the overseas media outlet CBS, Duffy stated that 'many of the trainees are former gamers,' 'only 25% of air traffic controllers have a university degree,' and 'games require many of the skills necessary for air traffic controllers, such as 'quick thinking,' 'maintaining concentration,' and 'managing information on multiple routes',' acknowledging that gamers cultivate the necessary abilities for air traffic control.