Learn Italian: L'equipaggio sarà in ritardo.

In Italian, collective nouns that describe a group of people, like l'equipaggio (the crew), are strictly singular. You must always use singular verbs and adjectives with them, even though English often treats words like 'crew', 'staff', or 'family' as plural.

Why does the sentence use the future tense sarà if the English translation says they are late right now?

This is a very common Italian pattern called the 'future of probability'. You can use the future tense to express a guess, doubt, or strong assumption about the present. So while sarà in ritardo translates literally to 'will be late', in this context it means 'are probably late' or 'must be late'.

Why use in ritardo instead of just tardi for 'late'?

In ritardo is used when a person, group, or transport is delayed or arriving behind schedule. Tardi refers to the actual time of day being advanced, such as in è troppo tardi (it is too late). Since the crew is delayed, in ritardo is the right phrase here.