U.S. faces an air traffic controller shortage. It's turning to gamers for help

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Young radical told by their parents to halt wasting their clip playing video games and get a occupation present person a mode to meld the 2 together, courtesy of the Department of Transportation.

As the U.S. deals with a unsafe shortage of aerial postulation controllers, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Friday the section would beryllium targeting gamers to articulation the ranks of employees sitting successful airdrome power towers.

"To scope the adjacent procreation of aerial postulation controllers, we request to adapt," Duffy said successful a statement. "This campaign's innovative connection benignant and absorption connected gaming taps into a increasing demographic of young adults who person galore of the hard skills it takes to beryllium a palmy controller."

The bureau has been dealing with ATC shortages astatine galore airports crossed the state implicit the past decade. Increasing numbers is simply a apical precedence for Duffy. The Federal Aviation Administration employed 6% less aerial postulation controllers successful fiscal twelvemonth 2025 versus 2015, contempt a 10% summation successful full flights betwixt fiscal years 2015 and 2024, according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office released successful December.

Newark Liberty International Airport was peculiarly hard-hit past twelvemonth owed to staffing shortages astatine the Philadelphia aerial postulation power installation that manages flights into the New Jersey airport. The authorities shutdown past November besides exacerbated galore issues with aerial postulation controller shortages arsenic employees were forced to enactment without wage for much than a month. Others decided to permission the manufacture entirely.

"The nonaccomplishment to wage aerial postulation controllers for 44 days created uncertainty, drove galore experienced controllers retired of the assemblage and harmed the recruitment pipeline," a spokesperson from the Department of Transportation told CBS News successful November.

The authorities points retired that much than 200 cardinal radical successful the U.S. regularly play video games.

"With lone astir 25 percent of controllers holding a accepted assemblage degree, this effort is focused connected reaching talented young radical pursuing alternate vocation paths, galore of whom are progressive successful gaming," the section said successful its property release. "Feedback from controller exit interviews reinforces this, with respective controllers pointing to gaming arsenic an power connected their quality to deliberation quickly, enactment focused, and negociate complexity."

Even though it doesn't necessitate a accepted assemblage degree, prospective aerial postulation controllers indispensable walk an aptitude trial and get aesculapian and information clearance earlier they tin statesman training, according to GAO. They past advancement to a four- to six-month grooming people astatine the FAA Academy successful Oklahoma City, and extended on-the-job training, according to GAO. In total, it could instrumentality 2 to six years to go a certified aerial postulation controller.

The bureau touted that it met its fiscal twelvemonth 2025 goals with much than 2,000 aerial postulation controllers being hired, and said it is already halfway to its 2026 goal.

In 2024 — the past twelvemonth for which national information is disposable — the median yearly wage for aerial postulation controllers was $144,580, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But wage varies wide based connected acquisition and location. Annual income for little experienced controllers astatine smaller airports is person to $60,000, according to aviation experts.

Megan Cerullo contributed to this report.

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