The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched a targeted recruitment effort aimed at attracting video gamers to fill air-traffic controller positions amid a broad hiring initiative. The campaign, unveiled by the Department of Transportation on Friday, seeks to bring nearly 9,000 new controllers on board by 2028 to address staffing shortages and enhance airspace safety.

The recruitment video specifically calls on gamers to consider transitioning their skills into a professional career, emphasizing the critical responsibility of ensuring the safe passage of millions of travelers daily. While acknowledging the parallels between gaming and air-traffic control roles—such as quick decision-making and situational awareness—the message underlines that the job demands more than recreational skill, highlighting the position’s career stability and potential earnings reaching as much as $155,000 by the third year.

This intensified hiring effort follows a fatal incident at New York’s LaGuardia Airport in which an Air Canada jet collided with a firetruck on the runway, resulting in the deaths of both pilots. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating whether the collision was linked to an air-traffic controller leaving their post to answer an emergency call. Initial inquiries are also exploring if insufficient staffing levels played a role in the accident.

Exit interviews with departing air-traffic controllers have revealed that gaming is a common pastime among personnel, reinforcing the FAA’s view that the skill sets required for effective air-traffic control have meaningful overlap with video gaming expertise. The agency believes this insight could help broaden its recruitment pool and address chronic workforce shortages that have posed operational challenges in recent years.

The FAA’s dual emphasis on bolstering the workforce and ensuring high safety standards reflects broader concerns in the aviation sector, where maintaining robust control tower staffing remains essential to managing ever-increasing flight volumes. By appealing to gamers, the agency hopes to tap into a demographic familiar with complex simulation environments, thereby improving recruitment outcomes and mitigating risks associated with understaffed control centers.