The Minnesota Vikings appear to have avoided a major travel headache ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Green Bay Packers.
Friday’s nationwide Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop threatened to disrupt travel for NFL teams preparing for their Week 10 games. But Minnesota has now received encouraging news ahead of its trip to Lambeau Field.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported Saturday, November 14, that the Vikings have not made any changes to their travel plans following the unprecedented disruption.
“The Vikings have had no changes with their travel schedule to Green Bay today as a result of yesterday’s FAA ground stop,” Seifert wrote on X.
The update comes less than 24 hours before Minnesota’s noon CT kickoff against its NFC North rival.
Minnesota Vikings Avoid FAA Travel Complications Before Packers Game
The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop on Friday, November 13, after communications problems affected multiple air traffic control centers across the country.
The shutdown lasted more than four hours before federal officials lifted the restriction Friday evening. Although departures resumed, thousands of flights were canceled, leaving airlines scrambling to restore their schedules.
The situation raised questions about NFL teams scheduled to travel Saturday for Sunday’s games, including the Vikings.
As Pro Football Talk reported Friday, the timing of the FAA’s decision to resume flights offered NFL teams a chance to preserve their usual Saturday travel routines.
That appears to be the case for Minnesota.
Seifert’s report does not confirm that the Vikings have already arrived in Green Bay, but it establishes that the organization had not needed to alter its planned travel schedule as of Saturday afternoon.
That is welcome news for a team preparing for a divisional road game with little room for another disruption.
Vikings-Packers Game Remains on Schedule for Sunday
The potential travel complications had already generated discussion about whether Minnesota might need to find another way to reach Green Bay.
Heavy reported Friday that the Vikings had a practical alternative if air travel remained disrupted: making the trip to Wisconsin by bus.
The relative proximity of Minneapolis and Green Bay made that option more realistic than the alternatives facing some NFL teams with longer road trips.
However, a bus trip would still have changed Minnesota’s usual preparation routine on the eve of an important rivalry game.
Seifert’s Saturday update indicates the Vikings have not needed to make that adjustment.
According to the Vikings’ official game preview, Minnesota enters Sunday’s matchup at 6-2, while Green Bay sits at 6-3. The game is scheduled for noon CT at Lambeau Field, with FOX carrying the broadcast.
Minnesota won the teams’ first meeting of the season, 39-22, and is pursuing another victory in one of the NFL’s longest-running rivalries.
After a nationwide aviation emergency threatened to complicate the weekend, the Vikings can at least proceed with their original travel plans. Their next challenge awaits in Green Bay.
Minnesota Vikings Get Major FAA Travel Update Before Packers Game