Fresno Yosemite International Airport

For the United States Air Force use of the airport, see Fresno Air National Guard Base.

Fresno Yosemite International Airport
File:Fresno Yosemite International Airport Logo.jpg
USGS aerial image, 1998
IATA: FAT ICAO: KFAT FAA LID: FAT
Summary
Airport type	Public / Military
Owner	City of Fresno
Operator	City of Fresno Airports Division
Serves	Fresno, California
Elevation AMSL	336 ft / 102 m
Website	www.flyfresno.com
Maps
FAA airport diagram
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 11L/29R 9,227 2,812 Asphalt 11R/29L 8,008 2,441 Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft operations 199,209 Passengers 569,879 Based aircraft 195
Source: Federal Aviation Administration

Fresno Yosemite International Airport (IATA: FAT, ICAO: KFAT, FAA LID: FAT), formerly Fresno Air Terminal, is a joint civil-military public airport in eastern Fresno, in Fresno County, California. Despite its name the airport is more than 60 miles (97 km) south of Yosemite National Park on California State Route 41, although it is the closest airfield with scheduled jets. The airport covers 2,150 acres (870 ha) and has two runways and one helipad. It is the air transport center for the San Joaquin Valley, with flights to airline hubs throughout the Western United States. International flights to Mexico, are available through Aeromexico and Volaris. It is also home to Fresno Air National Guard Base and the 144th Fighter Wing (144 FW) of the California Air National Guard.

History

The airfield opened in June 1942. During World War II the airfield was known as Hammer Field and was used by the United States Army Air Forces' Fourth Air Force. Hammer Field was a training base and had three sub-bases and two gunnery ranges.

The airfield was renamed Fresno Air Terminal, and retained a military cantonment area for an Army Air Forces unit of the National Guard that became a unit of the Air National Guard when the U.S. Air Force was established as a separate service in 1947.

Today the California Air National Guard 144th Fighter Wing (144 FW) occupies two separate parcels of land at the airport—the main base area and the Munitions Storage Area. These areas of the airport are known as the Fresno Air National Guard Base. This military unit currently operates F-16C "Fighting Falcon" jet fighters and previously operated F-4D "Phantom" jet interceptor aircraft.

Trans World Airlines (TWA) and United Airlines flights to San Francisco/Oakland and Los Angeles moved from Chandler Field to Fresno Air Terminal in 1947; TWA dropped Fresno in 1963.

In 1988 the FAA designated the airport an "International Point of Entry", allowing international flights.

In 1995 the airport's name was changed to attract out-of-state and international visitors to Yosemite National Park. Since its opening, the airport has gone through multiple renovations and expansions. In 2002, a new two-level concourse building designed by DMJM Aviation was completed and in 2006 construction of a new Federal Inspection Facility (FIS) was completed. The airport applied for a new FAA identifier code when its name was changed in 1996; however, the FAA will only assign a new airport identifier code when an airport physically moves to another location, such as in 1995 when Denver Airport moved from Stapleton (DEN to DVX).

Fresno has been headquarters for at least two airlines. In the mid 1990s Air 21 flew Fokker F28 Fellowship jets to several destinations including nonstop to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and San Francisco, and direct to Colorado Springs. Allegiant Air also called Fresno home but then moved its headquarters to Las Vegas.

United Airlines was a major player at the airport for many years, operating Boeing 727-100, Boeing 727-200, Boeing 737-200, Boeing 737-300 and Douglas DC-8 jets. United even flew stretched Douglas Super DC-8 series 61 (DC-8-61) flights to Denver, San Francisco and Los Angeles. With over 200 seats these DC-8-61s were the largest airliners ever scheduled into Fresno. United Airlines remains the longest continuously-operating carrier out of Fresno Yosemite International Airport with daily non-stop flights to Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Other jet airlines that served Fresno in the past included Pacific Air Lines with Boeing 727-100s, Hughes Airwest (previously Air West) with Douglas DC-9-10 and DC-9-30s, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) with Boeing 727-100, 727-200, 737-200 and McDonnell Douglas MD80s, Western Airlines with Boeing 727-200, 737-200 and 737-300s, Delta Air Lines with Boeing 727-200 and 737-300s, the original Frontier Airlines (1950-1986) with Boeing 737-200s, Continental Airlines with Boeing 737-200 and 737-300s, AirCal with Boeing 737-200s, Morris Air with Boeing 737-300s and Pacific Express with BAC One-Elevens. Pacific Air Lines was the first airline to schedule jets into Fresno when it initiated Boeing 727-100 service nonstop to both Los Angeles and San Francisco in 1966.

In the 1990s there was a shift to smaller regional jet and turboprop aircraft; however, mainline jets have recently been returning to Fresno. Mainline jet aircraft currently serving Fresno include the long standing McDonnell Douglas MD80 service nonstop to Dallas/Ft. Worth operated by American Airlines. Allegiant Air flies McDonnell Douglas MD80s nonstop to Las Vegas and also operates Boeing 757-200 nonstops to Honolulu. Aeromexico flies Boeing 737s while Volaris operates Airbus A319s with both airlines flying nonstop to Guadalajara, Mexico. Delta Air Lines had announced new flights to Fresno from Atlanta; however, this service was then cancelled before it began. Recently, Frontier Airlines began flying nonstop Airbus A319 service to Denver three days a week.

Direct international service from Fresno ended when Mexicana ceased operations in August 2010 to Guadalajara International Airport, Mexico. However, international flights returned when Volaris and Aeromexico restored service between Fresno and Guadalajara in April 2011.

Fresno is the largest city in the continental United States not served by Southwest Airlines. Morris Air operated Boeing 737-300s into the airport but ceased all service after the airline was acquired by Southwest Airlines.

Facilities and aircraft

The air traffic control tower

The main terminal building

Check-in counters

Fresno Yosemite International Airport covers 1,728 acres (699 ha) at an elevation of 336 ft (102 m) above mean sea level, with two paved asphalt runways: 11L/29R (primary) and 11R/29L (secondary); and one helipad, designated H1. Runway 11L/29R is 9,227 by 150 ft (2,812 by 46 m), runway 11R/29L is 8,008 by 150 ft (2,441 by 46 m), and Helipad H1 is 70 by 70 ft (21 by 21 m).

Completed in 2010, CSHQA designed the $10 million Terminal Building Expansion and Remodel – The portion included a multi-phased rehabilitation of the ticketing lobby, central lobby (including the unique sequoia forest exhibit), the rental car counter areas, and the expansion of baggage claim. The enhanced ticket lobby incorporates an open floor plan with high ceiling interiors; houses all airline ticket counters in the same space; provides large open common use baggage screening and processing rooms, and introduces a more high tech image through the use of LCD screen displays and other material and lighting elements. The central lobby area includes the “sense of place” Sequoia Treescape project. The expanded baggage claim area accommodates higher capacity equipment, and provides more circulation space for travelers.

A US$30 million construction project is under way to widen, lengthen and strengthen secondary runway 11R/29L with scheduled completion in October 2012.

For the year ending September 30, 2009 the airport had 143,945 aircraft operations, an average of 394 per day: 65% general aviation, 18% air taxi, 10% scheduled commercial, and 8% military. At that time there were 195 aircraft based at the airport: 47% single-engine, 23% multi-engine, 6% jet, 11% helicopter and 13% military.

Passenger totals

In 2014, 1,442,026 passengers flew through Fresno Yosemite International Airport, breaking the previous record from 2013.

In 2013, 1,401,582 passengers arrived and departed through Fresno Yosemite International Airport, exceeding the previous record of 1,318,493 passengers in 2007 by 6.3%. This increase is contributed to the introduction of larger jet aircraft and new destinations. Flights to and from Fresno Yosemite International Airport averaged a load factor of 82% in 2013.

In 2011 over 1.2 million passengers traveled through Fresno Yosemite International Airport, a 6.4% increase from 2010.

Fresno completed 2006 with 1.281 million passengers traveling through Fresno Yosemite International Airport, an increase of 7.54% over 2005.

Fresno completed 2007 with 1.382 million passengers traveling through Fresno Yosemite International Airport, an increase of 3.13% over 2006.

The most prominent airlines at Fresno are Skywest Airlines for United Express and Delta Connection (36.29%), Mesa Airlines for US Airways Express (16.97%), American Airlines (12.77%), and Horizon Air (9.92%).

Airlines and destinations

File:FAT destinations, 11-2013.png

All cities served nonstop from Fresno, as of December 2014.

Airlines	Destinations
Aeromexico	Guadalajara Seasonal: Morelia
Alaska Airlines operated by Horizon Air	Portland (OR), San Diego
Alaska Airlines operated by SkyWest Airlines	Seattle/Tacoma
Allegiant Air	Las Vegas
American Airlines	Dallas/Fort Worth
American Eagle	Los Angeles
Delta Connection	Salt Lake City
United Express	Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco
US Airways Express	Phoenix
Volaris	Guadalajara

The vast majority of air traffic in and out of the airport is private aircraft. Only 7% of the air traffic is commercial, 6% is military, and the remainder is private.

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Ameriflight	Oakland, Visalia, Santa Maria
FedEx Express	Reno/Tahoe
UPS Airlines	Ontario Seasonal: Louisville

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from FAT (Dec 2013 - Nov 2014)

Rank	City	Passengers	Carriers
1	Phoenix, Arizona (PHX)	110,000	US Airways
2	Los Angeles, California	97,000	American, United
3	Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas	84,000	American
4	Denver, Colorado	77,000	Frontier, United
5	Las Vegas, Nevada	63,000	Allegiant, United
6	San Francisco, California	53,000	United
7	Salt Lake City, Utah	46,000	Delta
8	Seattle/Tacoma, Washington	44,000	Alaska
9	San Diego, California	32,000	Alaska
10	Portland, Oregon	21,000	Alaska

Firsts

• FAT was the first airport in the country to implement an anti-terrorist facial recognition system, shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
• The first airport in the Nation to install a web-based, wireless system (PASSUR Flight Information Display) to list active flight arrivals and departures.

Military

• The 144th Fighter Wing of the California Air National Guard is based out of the Fresno Yosemite International Airport.
• The California Army National Guard maintains an Aviation Classification Repair Activity Depot (AVCRAD) at the airport. The mission of this unit is to perform high level maintenance and repair on Army aircraft. Its jurisdiction covers a 15-state region in the Western United States.
• Both the U.S. Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry operate an Air Attack Base at the airport for fighting forest fires with aerial tankers.

Solar power

Fresno Yosemite International features a 2.4 megawatt solar system, completed in March 2008. The airport purchases solar-generated electricity from the system, which is owned, operated, and maintained by Solar Power Partners and its investors. Solar Power Partners contracted WorldWater & Solar Technologies Corp to construct the system. The solar system was financed through a solar power purchase agreement, which required no capital outlay from the airport. At the time of commissioning, the system was the largest airport solar system in the nation.

External links

• Fresno Yosemite International Airport, official web site
• Fresno Yosemite International Airport, airport-technology.com
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective October 31, 2024
• FAA Terminal Procedures for FAT, effective October 31, 2024
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KFAT
  • ASN accident history for FAT
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KFAT
  • FAA current FAT delay information