The Federal Aviation Administration hosted job fairs across the Chicago area on Friday to recruit air traffic controllers amid airport shortages.
Friday, April 17, 2026 10:47PMThe U.S. Government Accountability Office reports there are 6% fewer controllers in the last 10 years, and flights have increased.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
Students at Olive-Harvey College can study aviation maintenance at the Transportation Distribution and Logistics building. On Friday, students and residents community were invited to consider a career as an air traffic controller.
The FAA has opened its online site for applications for air traffic controllers. Applicants at Olive Harvey College got help and more information from FAA employees directly on Friday.
‘It's a very easy process we've been in here 10 minutes,’ applicant Omarion Parker said. ‘They gave us some instruction. We applied, and we're about to leave, quick and easy.’
‘Air travel is only increasing to so therefore we need a trained workforce,’ said William McClinton, FAA Great Lakes Region Director of Human Resources.
Those considered for an air traffic controller position need to be a U.S. citizen between 18-31 years old and have a bachelors degree or just one year of work experience. ‘You don't need a degree but you can have one and a mix of different things that's going that will get your qualified beyond this point but to be honest one year works experience will get you started,’ McClinton said.
FAA reducing scheduled flights at O'Hare airport this summer for concerns over safety, cancellations
Cheryl Freeman-Smith, A dean at Olive Harvey, said this job fair is often the first exposure for applicants in the area for this type of work, or any government job. ‘It will allow them to be financial stable so build up the communities they live in and that also gives vision and hope to young folks who look up to them and allow them to go into careers they hadn’t thought of,’ Freeman-Smith said.
‘No I didn't consider air traffic controller at all, until I saw the flyer, and that we all know what's going on in the news with the storage going with them, so I was like maybe there will be some job security,’ Neely said.
Once assigned to a tower, it takes three years to be fully certified. And all that time, the applicant is being paid to learn.
Find more details about applying on our news app and website Applicants should hear in the coming weeks to see if they move to the next round. But if this doesn't work, applicants are now exposed to thousands of positions available in the government.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
FAA investigating why ‘dirty ice’ slammed through roof of California homeThe block of ice landed in the living room of the home. A tenant who was inside was not hurt.
Read more »
Federal officials order flight cuts at Chicago O'Hare to reduce airport delaysAbout 300 flights per day must be cut from the schedule at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on the busiest days this summer in an effort to reduce flight delays, The U.S.
Read more »
Federal officials order flight cuts at Chicago O'Hare to reduce airport delaysAbout 300 flights per day must be cut from the schedule at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on the busiest days this summer in an effort to reduce flight delays, The U.S.
Read more »
Federal officials order flight cuts at Chicago O’Hare to reduce airport delaysToday's Video Headlines: 04/16/26
Read more »
FAA reducing scheduled flights at Chicago's O'Hare airport for concerns over safety, cancellationsNow, travelers going through O'Hare International Airport this summer might have to reroute their plans after the Department of Transportation announced it would be capping the number of flights during peak summer travel season.
Read more »
Federal officials order flight cuts at Chicago O'Hare to reduce airport delaysWater surged through parts of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and a resident’s basement apartment flooded as Chicago saw more than half its average April rainfall in a single day Tuesday. A flood watch remains in place through Wednesday.
Read more »