The University of Texas football team was unable to depart for its upcoming game against LSU on Friday afternoon due to a sudden aviation crisis.
According to “the Federal Aviation Administration,” the agency halted all air travel across the country because of a widespread communication issue.
The travel disruption directly impacted the Longhorns, who had already boarded their American Airlines aircraft in preparation for their Saturday night matchup, “as reported by Yahoo Sports.”
A team spokesperson confirmed the grounding to the “American-Statesman,” noting that the team was still awaiting information regarding when they might be cleared to depart.
The situation forced a change of plans for the entire travel party, as players, coaches and staff were required to deplane and return to the team facilities, “citing sources from Horns247.”
The Longhorns are currently scheduled to face LSU at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, though the travel delay has cast uncertainty over the team’s arrival timeline.
The disruption is part of a larger, developing story regarding the national aviation shutdown that has affected thousands of travelers, “according to reports by the Austin American-Statesman.”
As of late Friday, officials had not provided a definitive update on when normal flight operations would resume for the team.
The program remains in a holding pattern while coordinating with airline officials to reschedule their trip to the game site.
The school has not yet released a statement on how the delay might impact the team’s preparation schedule for the prime-time contest.
Updates are expected as the FAA works to resolve the technical communication failures impacting airports throughout the United States.