Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Friday a record-breaking surge in applications for air traffic controller positions, with over 8,004 candidates submitting within just 13 hours — an average of more than 10 applicants per minute. More than 7,252 applicants are qualified, marking the fastest application pace in American history.
“In just 13 HOURS: 8,004 Americans applied to join our controller ranks — that’s over 10 applications EVERY MINUTE! EVEN BETTER, 7,252 applicants are qualified! This is now the FASTEST application pace in AMERICAN HISTORY for Air Traffic Controllers,” Duffy said.
The Transportation Department revealed it launched a recruitment campaign targeting gamers after polling 250 graduates from its air traffic academy and finding that only three had not played video games.
“We’ve had a flood of young people coming in that want to be air traffic controllers,” Duffy stated, adding that applicants must undergo an assessment process but the initiative has been “wildly successful.”
The campaign includes a promotional video urging potential candidates to “level up” by joining the ranks. Applications opened at midnight on Friday and will close once 8,000 applicants are reached.
Duffy noted that the Transportation Department has long struggled with air traffic controller staffing shortages, with retirements tripling during the November government shutdown that left federal workers without paychecks for over a month.
“This is going to live on in air travel, well beyond the time frame that this government opens back up,” Duffy said at that time.
The hiring effort is part of President Trump’s proposed 2027 budget, which allocates $481 million for the Federal Aviation Administration to address staffing gaps through expanded recruitment and retention initiatives.
“You may think I’m crazy. Like, gamers for air traffic controllers?” Duffy remarked during an interview with Talcott. “This came about, we polled 250 random students at our academy and only three of them were not gamers.”