Calgary Flames were in the air as FAA grounded flights across the U.S.
The Calgary Flames were already thousands of feet in the air when a major aviation disruption hit the United States on Friday.
The Flames were travelling to Los Angeles ahead of their upcoming game against the Kings when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop, temporarily halting departing flights across the country.
Fortunately for Calgary, the team had already taken off and has since landed safely in Los Angeles.
The unprecedented disruption was triggered by communications problems affecting air traffic control centres across the United States.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that the issue was affecting all 22 regional Air Route Traffic Control Centers, with FAA technicians investigating the problem.
The FAA initially ordered all departing traffic to remain grounded until further notice, citing extraordinary circumstances and safety concerns.
Aircraft that were already airborne were permitted to continue to their destinations, while inbound international flights were being handled on a case-by-case basis.
The disruption also affected major airports across the country, including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), where the Flames were headed.
According to FlightAware, thousands of flights across the United States were delayed or cancelled as a result of the ground stop.
The incident marked the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when an FAA computer system failure disrupted flights across the country.
For the Flames, however, their trip to California appears to have gone according to plan, with the team safely arriving in Los Angeles despite the aviation chaos unfolding throughout the U.S.