The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it hired 2,235 air traffic controllers, breaking a record and beating its 2026 goal.
These new controllers completed their training and became fully certified!
The news comes about two months after the FAA said its gamer recruitment campaign brought in over 2,000 air traffic controller candidates.
I guess the candidates worked out!
“Meeting this year’s hiring goal is an important milestone, but it’s not the finish line,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “We are focused on continuing to bring the best and the brightest people into the profession, giving them the training and tools they need to succeed, and building a stronger, more resilient air traffic control workforce. Every new controller represents an investment in the future of the National Airspace System.”
Fox News reported that the FAA achieved “its highest certified controller staffing level in a decade, with 11,027 certified professional controllers as of Sept. 30, up from 10,694 at the end of fiscal year 2025.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has stressed that the FAA faces a dangerous shortage of air traffic controllers, making hiring one of his top priorities.
“We’re recruiting, hiring, and training more air traffic controllers than ever before—and the numbers show it,” Duffy told Fox News. “Thanks to President Trump, we’ve shaved months off the hiring pipeline, dramatically expanded our collegiate training programs, and inspired thousands of young gamers to pursue this exciting career. This is an important milestone, but not the finish line as we work to reverse decades of staffing shortages.”
In April 2025, the FAA developed a plan to hire almost 9,000 air traffic controllers by the beginning of 2029.
Almost a year later, the FAA began its recruiting campaign for gamers.
The FAA quickly gained 6,000 applications in the 12 hours after the campaign launched.
The plan aimed for 2,200 new air traffic controllers in 2026. The FAA set a goal of 2,300 for 2027 and 2,400 for 2028.
[Featured image via YouTube]
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