The Texas Longhorns trip to Baton Rouge for a scheduled game against LSU is on hold after a nationwide ground stop grounded all departing flights at U.S. airports.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced the measure on Friday, citing a telecommunication outage that has impacted all Air Route Traffic Control Centers.
Duffy stated that FAA technicians are investigating the issue and will provide updates as they become available.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin clarified to reporters outside the White House that the disruption was caused by a telecommunication failure within the agency.
The travel halt has affected numerous athletic programs across the country as they prepare for weekend games.
According to reporting from Pete Thamel, teams currently facing travel limbo include SEC programs such as Ole Miss and Tennessee, alongside several squads from the Big 12, ACC, and Big Ten conferences.
The Texas football team reportedly boarded their aircraft in Austin but were unable to depart due to the federal order, as noted by Tyler Horka on X.
The situation remains fluid for the stranded teams as they wait for further instructions from federal aviation authorities.
Hundreds of travelers and staff members are currently navigating the uncertainty caused by the unexpected grounding of the national airspace system.
The Longhorns Wire reported that the specific impact on the weekend schedule remains unknown at this time.
Officials have not provided a timeline for when normal flight operations will resume across the United States.
Athletic departments are now scrambling to determine alternative plans for their upcoming contests while monitoring the status of the FAA technical investigation.