11 percent of the state\u2019s population<\/a>, as of the last census.<\/p>\nThe city and county of Fresno have also recently embarked on new projects that seek to transform the region\u2019s future and signal the region\u2019s shifting economy.<\/p>\n
A regional rail system is being explored at the county level to connect rural communities. That\u2019s in addition to construction for the state\u2019s high-speed rail that will cut through the city and include a major station.<\/p>\n
At the airport, flyers will soon see a refreshed terminal with wider TSA lines and a floor-to-ceiling mural anchoring the space. City leaders have also unveiled a new airport mascot, a blue bird wearing an aviator hat. The full terminal refresh is expected to be fully operational by the end of this year.<\/p>\n
Vikkie Calderon, the airport\u2019s public relations officer, said the upgrades are necessary as passenger numbers continue to rise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe region is growing, air service is growing, we\u2019re seeing more passengers travel through the Fresno Airport,\u201d Calderon said. \u201cSo these projects are important and will provide the capacity to be able to accommodate all of this growth that we\u2019re seeing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calderon said the expansion is also about positioning Fresno as a growing gateway for out-of-town visitors.<\/p>\n
But while construction has steadily moved forward, the expansion faced uncertainty earlier this year when federal funding for Fresno was put at risk.<\/p>\n
Mayor Jerry Dyer said the city was notified that hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants could be pulled. The funding was not only for the airport improvements, but also for other major projects such as housing, transportation, capital improvement projects, and environmental safety.<\/p>\n
A total of $642 million were at risk, Dyer said.<\/p>\n
According to city officials, the funding threats were tied to language related to diversity, equity, and inclusion included in grant applications. City leaders viewed the move as federal overreach.<\/p>\n
In August, Fresno led a lawsuit against the federal government seeking to restore the funding. Several other California cities \u2013 Eureka, Sacramento, and South Lake Tahoe \u2013 joined the case.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe city of Fresno did not want to initiate litigation against the federal government, but we felt we had to,\u201d Dyer said.<\/p>\n
In September, a judge ruled in favor of the cities and allowed the funding to continue. The federal government has since appealed that decision, but Fresno moved forward with its airport expansion project as planned.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1765956434_412_\"\/)
<\/p>\n
The logo for the Fresno Yosemite International Airport has been switched from this Sequoia tree to a more colorful, watercolor splash.<\/p>\n
Dyer said the investment is already paying off locally.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe estimate somewhere about $105 million in economic impact just from the terminal expansion alone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The mayor also said the work has supported more than 500 local jobs.<\/p>\n
As the airport grows, some travelers wonder if expansion could mean losing the small, comfortable charm. Shiveley, a regular traveler, said she isn\u2019t too worried.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited for the new terminals because obviously I want more direct flights,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd then I\u2019m excited for the Einstein’s and the Ike\u2019s because Ike\u2019s is my favorite, like sub sandwiches.”<\/p>\n
Like many travelers, she hopes the airport can find a balance: growing while still holding on to the warmth and home feel of Fresno.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FRESNO, Calif. \u2013 Fresno Yosemite International Airport may be small compared to other larger hubs, but in recent…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":97967,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[37810,1053,53524,53525,13475,53526,53527,112,53528,528,114,113],"class_list":["post-97966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-central-valley-daily","tag-city-of-fresno","tag-dec-16","tag-dyer","tag-eureka","tag-fat","tag-fatforward","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-air-terminal","tag-fresno-airport","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}