BOZEMAN — A nationwide ground stop has halted the Montana State football charter flight to Greeley, Colo.
The Bobcats were boarded on an Allegiant flight at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport when the Federal Aviation Administration issued the stop for all traffic at U.S. airports Friday due to "extraordinary circumstances and and for reasons of safety."
Montana State's game at Northern Colorado on Saturday, originally scheduled for 12 p.m., is now slated to kick off at 5 p.m. from Nottingham Field, which installed field lights prior to this football season. The game will be broadcast by Scripps Sports and air on The Spot – MTN across Montana.
According to several reports, the ground stop is related to issues with telecommunications. The team was originally set to depart at 2:15 p.m. The FAA issued the ground stop at 2:29.
"I'm on board traveling with the team," MTN Sports' Toni Wetmore said Friday afternoon. "At around 3:15, the team got off the plane and are now waiting inside the airport. The team told me they don't know what's going to happen next."
Update 3:43pm: The Montana State football flight has de-planed, still waiting for additional information along with all other passengers at BZN. https://t.co/IsNyelvrOw
— Toni Wetmore (@ToniWetmore) November 13, 2026
The Big Sky Conference issued a statement Friday afternoon, saying that "some game times may change."
According to airport CEO Brian Sprenger, eight airliners are on the ground at BZN, with one flight having arrived not too long ago.
The Bobcats were scheduled to fly to Cheyenne, Wyo., on Friday and then drive into Greeley.
https://t.co/eIb4swPw0j
— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) November 13, 2026
The FAA's stop requires that all air traffic set to depart U.S. airports remain grounded. Any flights already airborne would be allowed to proceed to their destinations.
Officials said the stop would remain in place until further notice.
An air traffic controller who spoke to Scripps News on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to speak publicly, said at approximately 3:36pm Eastern time, they received notice of a frequency issue prompting a ground stop at one airport on the East Coast. Within minutes, two additional control towers reported similar issues. Shortly thereafter, the nationwide stop was announced.
This story will be updated