

Trans World Airlines (TWA) and United Airlines flights to San Francisco/Oakland and Los Angeles moved from Chandler Field to the newly opened airport. In 1948, the newly renamed Fresno Air Terminal (FAT) opened. In 1946 the War Assets Administration reallocated the property to the city, which immediately began construction on a passenger terminal on the northeast side of the airfield. Īfter World War II, Hammer Field was inactivated by the Army Air Forces and the city of Fresno saw an opportunity to use the site to create a commercial airport much larger than Chandler Field. Less than a decade after it opened, it was clear that the small runway at Chandler would not be able to accommodate coming larger airliners. Chandler is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of downtown Fresno, on a small site. Īt the time, civil and commercial aviation used Chandler Field that had opened in November 1929. Snavely, commanding officer of the 319th Wing. Training for the Bell P-59 Airacomet was added to the 319th mission in 1944, as well, confirmed Col. Night fighter training, using Northrop P-61s, was moved to Hammer Field in January 1944, initially with the 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group, replaced by the 319th Wing in May 1944. It had a single northwest/southeast oriented runway with a length of 7,200 feet (now runway 11L/29R). The new airfield was named Hammer Field and was used by the United States Army Air Forces as a training facility for the new pilots of the Fourth Air Force. The Fresno Yosemite International Airport opened as a military airfield in June 1942, just six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, leading the United States to enter World War II. Other government and military operators with facilities at the airport include the California Army National Guard, the California Highway Patrol, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, and the Fresno Police Department.įresno is home to a large operations base for SkyWest Airlines, the nation's largest regional airline.Īerial view of Fresno Yosemite International Airport (2021) Military beginnings The Fresno Air Attack Base on the eastern side of the airport supports aerial firefighting aircraft.

The Fresno Air National Guard Base on the southeast corner of the airport is home to the 144th Fighter Wing of the California Air National Guard.
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Its airport code 'FAT' stands for " Fresno Air Terminal," a former name for the airport.ĭue to its central location within the state, the airport is home to several military, law enforcement, firefighting, and medical air units.

The airport is owned and operated by the city of Fresno and operates two runways on a property spanning 1,728 acres (699 ha). The facility opened in June 1942 as Hammer Field, a military airfield. It offers scheduled passenger flights to several major airline hubs in the United States and international service to Mexico. It is the primary commercial airport for the San Joaquin Valley and three national parks: Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon.

Source: Federal Aviation Administration įresno Yosemite International Airport ( IATA: FAT, ICAO: KFAT, FAA LID: FAT) is a joint military/public airport in Fresno, California, United States.
