INDIANAPOLIS -- Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever's days flying commercially are numbered.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Tuesday that the league plans to have full-time charter flights in place for the 2024 season, USA Today reported. All 12 teams will fly charter to every away game "as soon as we can logistically get planes in places," Engelbert said in a league meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

The WNBA currently allows teams to fly charter in specific circumstances, including back-to-back games, the Commissioner's Cup Championship Game, and the entirety of the playoffs.

With the start of the regular season only a week away, though, Engelbert said the charters likely will not be ready for the beginning of the season. She did not provide a specific timeline of when teams will be fully flying charter, but estimated a couple weeks to a month.

"I'll say we intend right now to fund a full charter program for this year," Engelbert said. "This is a pretty historic moment for the league. And we're excited, I think it'll be a positive overall to the brand. I think the players will be thrilled."

Engelbert previously told ESPN that the league didn't have the financial capital to fully fund charter planes for the entire season, and that it would cost around $25 million per season. There is a lot of excitement around the league right now, though, with high-profile rookies including Clark, the Chicago Sky's Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, and the Los Angeles Sparks' Cameron Brink. That adds to the star power of the Aces' A'ja Wilson, the New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart, and the Seattle Storm's Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith.

The WNBA's current media deal, which brings in about $60 million annually, runs through the 2025 season. With popularity rising, the league is anticipating a more lucrative deal in its next contract.

"We feel we have huge ownership support, a huge investment coming into this league through corporate partnerships, media partnerships, and I think we feel good about the long-term viability of a program like this," Engelbert said.

The WNBA's current collective bargaining agreement with the players' union, the WNBPA, also expires following the 2025 season. Before this announcement, players were likely going to push for fully chartered seasons in the next CBA.

“It will definitely be an adjustment, but, you know, it is what it is,” Clark said last week. “I think the CBA is up for renegotiation after next season, we can opt out of it, and certainly the new media rights deal will have a big impact on that too. So, at this point of my career, and across the WNBA, it is what it is. I'm sure certainly everybody would say they would love to be flying charter all the time."

More: Caitlin Clark, welcome to WNBA... and commercial flights. 'Will definitely be an adjustment.'

Clark and the Fever flew commercially to Dallas for their preseason game against the Wings last week, and they were met with multiple fans and media members at the airport.

Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner was confronted about her detainment in Russia at the Dallas airport during the 2023 season, which renewed fans' and other players' calls for fully chartered flights for the safety and security of players.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: WNBA to provide full-time charter flights for league teams this season