The U.S. faces an air traffic controller shortage. It’s turning to gamers for help.
(CBS NEWS) — Young people told by their parents to stop wasting their time playing video games and get a job now have a way to meld the two together, courtesy of the Department of Transportation.
As the U.S. deals with a dangerous shortage of air traffic controllers, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Friday the department would be targeting gamers to join the ranks of employees sitting in airport control towers.
“To reach the next generation of air traffic controllers, we need to adapt,” Duffy said in a statement. “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.”
The agency has been dealing with ATC shortages at many airports across the country over the past decade. Increasing numbers is a top priority for Duffy. The Federal Aviation Administration employed 6% fewer air traffic controllers in fiscal year 2025 versus 2015, despite a 10% increase in total flights between fiscal years 2015 and 2024, according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office released in December.
Newark Liberty International Airport was particularly hard-hit last year due to staffing shortages at the Philadelphia air traffic control facility that manages flights into the New Jersey airport. The government shutdown last November also exacerbated many issues with air traffic controller shortages as employees were forced to work without pay for more than a month. Others decided to leave the industry entirely.
“The failure to pay air traffic controllers for 44 days created uncertainty, drove many experienced controllers out of the profession and harmed the recruitment pipeline,” a spokesperson from the Department of Transportation told CBS News in November.
The government points out that more than 200 million people in the U.S. regularly play video games.
“With only about 25 percent of controllers holding a traditional college degree, this effort is focused on reaching talented young people pursuing alternative career paths, many of whom are active in gaming,” the department said in its press release. “Feedback from controller exit interviews reinforces this, with several controllers pointing to gaming as an influence on their ability to think quickly, stay focused, and manage complexity.”
Even though it doesn’t require a traditional college degree, prospective air traffic controllers must pass an aptitude test and get medical and security clearance before they can begin training, according to GAO. They then progress to a four- to six-month training course at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, and extensive on-the-job training, according to GAO. In total, it could take two to six years to become a certified air traffic controller.
The agency touted that it met its fiscal year 2025 goals with more than 2,000 air traffic controllers being hired, and said it is already halfway to its 2026 goal.
In 2024 — the last year for which federal data is available — the median annual wage for air traffic controllers was $144,580, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
But pay varies widely based on experience and location. Annual income for less experienced controllers at smaller airports is closer to $60,000, according to aviation experts.
