The Chiefs found themselves immobilized in Kansas City before their concluding regular season match against the Broncos.
Fox4 News reported that the back-to-back Super Bowl champions were expected to depart for Denver around 2:45pm on Saturday. However, after four hours on the runway, their aircraft remained grounded. Only around 6:30pm ET did they finally take off.
A winter storm caused ‘rapid ice build-up’ and compelled authorities to shut down operations at Kansas City International Airport – preventing the Chiefs from departing.
Andy Reid’s squad is set to face the 9-7 Broncos at 4:25pm ET on Sunday. Typically, the flight from Kansas City to Denver is a brief two hours. However, additional issues occurred in the Midwest on Saturday.
As per Fox4 News, there was a malfunction with the airport’s de-icing machinery, which delayed the takeoff of multiple flights.
Some aircraft were reported to be redirected to Omaha, Nebraska – over 500 miles east of Denver.
The Chiefs found themselves immobilized in Kansas City before their game against the Broncos
Andy Reid’s team, pictured here in December 2023, were expected to fly to Denver on Saturday
Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes is being rested for the regular season finale as the playoffs approach for Kansas City.
Travis Kelce might also miss the game, with the Chiefs having already confirmed the No 1 seed in the AFC.
As per reports, the Chiefs made attempts to adjust their travel arrangements in order to depart earlier on Saturday.
However, the charter flight intended for their trip to Denver was late arriving in Kansas City, obliging Reid and his team to adhere to their scheduled departure time.
Shortly after 5:30pm ET, it was communicated that the runways would be reopening shortly ‘and resuming normal operations’.