The Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to ground all flights nationwide Friday threw the sports world into chaos, leaving NBA, NHL and college teams stranded as they tried to reach their destinations, and NFL teams were left to wonder whether the issue would be resolved in time for them to travel to their games this weekend.
The FAA issued a notice that said the ground stop was “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.”
At around 8:30 p.m. ET, the FAA lifted the nationwide ground stop.
Despite the official notice that the air travel ban was lifted, it doesn’t simply revert back to business as usual. Teams and programs across the nation were impacted and continue to be as they try to travel to their games this weekend.
For example, No. 18 USC was able to take off before the ban was instituted and reportedly landed for its game in Bloomington against No. 9 Indiana on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Colorado State, whose flight to Washington State was impacted, used the tarmac as grounds for a walk-through practice.
Before the ban was lifted, transportation Secretary Sean Duffy later said there was a communications issue affecting the 22 regional air traffic control centers that direct planes en route between airports nationwide, and that FAA technicians were investigating.
“There’s no reason to be concerned about your loved ones if they’re flying,” Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said.
Most college football teams playing Saturday travel the day before their game, and the stoppage left many schools — including No. 2 Utah, eighth-ranked Texas and No. 9 Tennessee — at a standstill as they departed for road games. The Utes play at No. 22 Arizona, the Longhorns visit No. 24 LSU and the Vols are traveling to Texas A&M in three of the bigger games of the weekend.
In the case of the Longhorns, they posted on social media a short video of them boarding their plane before the stoppage. If they end up taking a bus to Baton Rouge, the trip for the 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff Saturday takes about seven hours.
“We are grounded and waiting to see when we can leave,” a team spokesman said.
Other schools affected by the stoppage included No. 19 Ole Miss, Baylor, Kansas State, Washington and Minnesota.
It also was unclear whether referees, who typically fly to their assignments the day before games, would make it on time.
Several teams were able to take off before the stoppage went into effect, including Missouri, which was flying to No. 1 Georgia; Duke, which was traveling to No. 5 Miami; and No. 10 Texas Tech, which was on the way to Oklahoma State.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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