Overview
- The DOT and FAA unveiled Friday a video game–themed recruiting push and said entry-level applications open April 17 and will close after 8,000 submissions.
- The campaign pitches gamers for skills like quick thinking and sustained focus, and the ads highlight paid training and average pay topping $155,000 after three years.
- The FAA counts about 11,000 fully certified controllers and more than 4,000 trainees, leaving the workforce below its 14,663 staffing benchmark.
- The agency says onboarding now takes about six and a half months, and it plans to hire about 8,900 controllers through 2028 to rebuild staffing.
- Candidates must pass aptitude testing, medical and security checks, complete four to six months at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, and finish on-the-job training that can take two to six years, which helps explain why a GAO review found staffing down about 6% as flights rose roughly 10%.