US received 6,000 applications for air traffic control roles, transportation secretary says

InternationalUS received 6,000 applications for air traffic control roles, transportation secretary saysBy Reuters -Apr 17, 2026The U.S. ​Federal Aviation Administration received 6,000 applications ‌for air traffic control roles in the last 12 hours, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on ​Friday. The FAA opened applications for air ​traffic controller positions overnight, Duffy said ⁠at the Semafor World Economy gathering in Washington. The ​U.S. air traffic control system in the ​U.S. is stretched thin. Many controllers are working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks and the FAA’s air ​traffic control training academy faces serious ​issues with retaining students. The workload for air traffic controllers ‌is ⁠also growing. Between 2015 and 2024, total flights using the air traffic control system increased by about 10% to 30.8 million, ​according to ​the Government Accountability ⁠Office, the U.S. government’s auditor. The Trump administration is especially focused on recruiting ​video gamers for air traffic ​control ⁠positions, Duffy said. He said his team surveyed a group of current controllers and learned that ⁠most ​of them play video ​games, prompting the department to recruit from that “community,” he ​said.