Overview
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the hiring window, which opened Friday, drew 8,004 applications in 13 hours and 7,252 met basic qualifications.
- The campaign targets video game players, with officials saying skills like multitasking and rapid decision-making map well to tower and radar work.
- Applicants still face a rigorous screening process and lengthy training, with about a 30% attrition rate at the FAA academy and two to three years to certify at a facility.
- The FAA set daily operations at Chicago O’Hare to 2,708 from mid-May through late October 2026 to match what controllers can safely manage, a move expected to cut roughly 300 flights on peak days.
- The workforce remains stretched with about 11,000 certified controllers and more than 4,000 trainees against staffing plans near 14,600, leading to mandatory overtime and six-day weeks at busy facilities.