The Trump administration has launched a targeted recruitment campaign for air traffic controllers, focusing on video game players as a growing demographic with complex skills.
A 70-second advertisement from the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) opens with gaming sequences and features a club remix of the 2009 Yeah Yeah Yeahs song “Heads Will Roll.” The ad transitions viewers into careers ensuring safe aircraft landings, stating: “Become an air traffic controller,” and highlights potential earnings of $155,000 per year after three years.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the initiative as addressing the agency’s challenge to recruit sufficient personnel. This follows reports that FAA systems have historically relied on outdated technology—such as floppy discs and copper wiring—which contributed to near-hour-long flight delays.
In 2025, the FAA expanded its hiring practices to include candidates with disabilities such as hearing impairments, vision loss, or paralysis. Duffy reported recruiting 2,026 new air traffic controllers in a single year—exceeding his target of 2,000—and aims for 8,900 by 2028.
In a statement about the campaign, Duffy said: “To reach the next generation of air traffic controllers, we need to adapt.”
An Office of Inspector General audit found the FAA employs approximately 13,000 certified air traffic controllers across more than 300 facilities nationwide.
