Florida lands in Lexington before nationwide flight halt

Florida arrived in Lexington ahead of Saturday’s game at No. 11 Kentucky before the Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop. The Gators’ social media account posted their arrival at Blue Grass Airport after the team exited a chartered Delta plane.

The FAA grounded flights because of what Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described as a communication issue affecting every Air Route Traffic Control Center. Duffy said FAA technicians were investigating, with no indication at the time when the ground stop would be lifted.

On3’s Pete Nakos reported that No. 6 Texas, No. 8 Tennessee and No. 19 Ole Miss were among the teams grounded. Texas was scheduled to play at LSU, Tennessee at Texas A&M and Ole Miss at Oklahoma, leaving those SEC travel plans and game statuses unsettled at the time.

Florida’s early arrival removes that travel concern from its matchup with Kentucky at Kroger Field. The Gators and Wildcats are scheduled to kick off Saturday at 6:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.

This was the second nationwide ground stop since Sept. 11, 2001. The other occurred in 2023 when the FAA’s NOTAM system went down, preventing pilots from completing required pre-departure paperwork.

Why it matters

Florida’s arrival keeps its travel plans intact for Saturday’s game at No. 11 Kentucky. The grounding created uncertainty for Texas-LSU, Tennessee-Texas A&M and Ole Miss-Oklahoma.

What to watch next

Florida and Kentucky are scheduled to kick off Saturday at 6:15 p.m. ET on ESPN. The FAA’s resolution of the ground stop will determine whether the other affected SEC teams can complete their trips.