The Chiefs found themselves stuck in Kansas City ahead of their final regular season game against the Broncos.
Fox4 News claimed the back-to-back Super Bowl champions were due to leave for Denver around 2:45pm on Saturday. But after four hours on the runway, their plane was still grounded. It wasn’t until around 6:30pm ET when they finally set off.
A winter storm led to ‘rapid ice accumulation’ and forced the authorities to close the airfield at Kansas City International Airport – before the Chiefs could leave.
Andy Reid‘s side take on the 9-7 Broncos at 4:25pm ET on Sunday. It is typically only a short, two-hour flight from Kansas City to Denver. But further problems were reported in the Midwest on Saturday.
According to Fox4 News, the airport’s de-icing machine malfunctioned, delaying the departure of flights.
Some planes, it was said, were diverted to Omaha, Nebraska – more than 500 miles east of Denver.
The Chiefs found themselves stuck in Kansas City ahead of their game against the Broncos
Andy Reid’s team, pictured here in December 2023, were due to fly to Denver on Saturday
Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes is being rested for the regular season finale as the playoffs loom for Kansas City.
Travis Kelce could also sit out the game, with the Chiefs having already secured the No 1 seed in the AFC.
According to reports, the Chiefs attempted to alter their travel plans in order to leave earlier on Saturday.
But the charter plane carrying them to Denver was late arriving into Kansas City, forcing Reid and Co to stick to their scheduled departure time.
Shortly after 5:30pm ET, it was announced that the runways would soon reopen ‘and resume normal operations’.
