A nationwide ground stoppage issued by the Federal Aviation Administration has disrupted travel plans for several college football teams, including the University of Washington.
The directive, which impacted flights across the United States on Friday, was prompted by a communication issue affecting air route traffic control centers, according to USA TODAY.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that the order requires all departing aircraft to remain on the ground until further notice, as reported by USA TODAY.
While aircraft currently in the air were permitted to complete their journeys, the Washington Huskies team plane narrowly missed the departure window, noted the Seattle Times.
A team spokesperson stated that the Huskies have since returned to campus from Boeing Field to wait for updates, per the Huskies Wire.
The FAA indicated that operations at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Boeing Field were expected to resume by 5:00 p.m. PT, though officials cautioned that the timeline remains subject to change, according to the FAA website.
The travel delay comes just before Washington is scheduled to play Michigan State on Saturday, as noted by sports data outlets.
The Huskies are among three Big Ten programs affected by the outage, joining Minnesota and Purdue, reported ESPN.
Unlike the Boilermakers, who reportedly plan to travel by bus to Iowa, Washington does not have an immediate alternative transportation method available, the outlets reported.
It remains unclear if the Big Ten conference will provide assistance or schedule adjustments for the impacted teams, according to Huskies Wire.