Southwest flights from fresno upgrade#

“As our airport grows, so does our economy.”ĭyer said he is pleased with an airport terminal expansion project dubbed “FATforward,” a nod to the airport’s official Federal Aviation Administration designation of FAT. “I am extremely proud to have one of the fastest growing airports in the nation,” Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said in the release. That’s the highest rate since 2015, the airport reported.įresno’s passenger growth in 2022 was also faster than the nationwide average, ranking fourth in the U.S. Airline load factors – the percentage of seats filled on flights – was about 83% in 2022. But the switch by some airlines to larger, more efficient aircraft translated into a higher number of passengers on flights to and from Fresno. The number of domestic and international flights serving Fresno was down in 2022 compared to 20. One of the biggest boosts to post-pandemic airline traffic to and from Fresno was the inauguration of service by Southwest Airlines to Las Vegas and Denver in April 2021. Southwest and other airlines have seen passenger growth as a result of pent-up demand following significant travel restrictions imposed in 2020 by the global COVID-19 pandemic, and that upswing continued in 2022. Reasons behind increased airline passengers “With more travelers using FAT and choosing their hometown airport, Fresno is able to present a strong case to airline planners about expanded air service opportunities in our market,” Thompson added. “Fresno Yosemite International Airport continues to be a top performing airport in recovery and passenger growth spurred by our partner airlines meeting the air service demand for Central Valley travelers,” said Henry Thompson, director of aviation for the city of Fresno. The 2022 figures represent a 12% increase over 2021 and are more than double the 2020 passenger count of less than 1 million fliers. Southwest Airlines will add a fourth daily round trip between Fresno and Las Vegas in July, airport officials said, providing a 25% boost to the airline’s capacity between the two cities.Īnd United Airlines, which has provided seasonal nonstop service between Fresno and Chicago, is anticipated to resume that route sometime this spring.īut another carrier, Alaska Airlines, is expected to drop its service between Fresno and Los Angeles by this summer, according to an analysis by airline service tracking website .Īs it was, more airline passengers flew to and from Fresno Yosemite International Airport in 2022 than in any previous year, according to new data released Monday by airport administrators.Īirlines serving the city-owned airport carried more than 2.1 million passengers aboard both domestic and international flights last year, up from 1.94 million in 2021 and breaking the previous record of 1.96 million passengers in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic decimated air travel nationwide in 2020.

Southwest flights from fresno upgrade#

Additionally, the airline will upgrade one of its flights in April to an Airbus A321 jetliner, which holds more passengers than the Boeing 737-800s currently flying the route, according to a news release. Several airlines serving Fresno Yosemite International Airport are planning to add flights to their schedules in 2023, potentially boosting passenger capacity beyond record figures just reported for 2022.Īirport administrators announced Monday that American Airlines currently offers three daily round trips between Fresno and Dallas-Fort Worth, but will boost that to four daily flights in February.