KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee football team in Knoxville, Tenn., got a late start on its trip to College Station, Texas, after a nationwide Federal Aviation Administration ground stop froze departures across the country Friday afternoon.
The Volunteers had already boarded for a 4 p.m. departure when the FAA halted flights, citing extraordinary circumstances and safety. The team returned to McGhee Tyson Airport and waited while the order stayed in place.
Shortly after 8:30 p.m. Friday the FAA lifted the stop and departures resumed. Athletic director Bill Martin said the plan was still to fly out that night, and the team caught a late flight to Texas.
A university spokesperson confirmed shortly before 5 p.m. that players and staff were already seated on the plane when the national order came down. The FAA said the halt followed communication problems that affected several Air Route Traffic Control Centers.
The ground stop was not limited to the Vols. Flights were halted at airports nationwide, and travelers at McGhee Tyson and across the country saw departures pile up until the order was lifted. A command center advisory directed departing aircraft to remain on the ground until further notice and said arriving international flights would be reviewed individually. That order took effect at 3:54 p.m. Eastern Friday.
The eighth-ranked Vols were among several programs scrambling to reset travel for road games while it was unclear how long flights would stay grounded.
Texas A&M said that after talks with the SEC and Tennessee, Saturday’s game will go on as originally planned. Kickoff at Kyle Field is set for 3 p.m. Eastern, which is 2 p.m. Central.
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