FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) \u2014 City leaders gathered Wednesday for a ribbon cutting ceremony at Fresno Yosemite International Airport, officially unveiling the largest terminal expansion project in the airport\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
The 95,000 square foot terminal expansion, known as FATforward, (or Fresno Air Terminal Forward) is designed to accommodate Fresno\u2019s growth and record breaking passenger demand. <\/p>\n
Fresno Yosemite International Airport unveils new signage.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Mayor Jerry Dyer said the timing of the expansion reflects a surge in air travel. In 2024 alone, Fresno Yosemite International Airport served more than 2.5 million passengers: the highest number in its history.<\/p>\n
We don’t want people driving to San Francisco or Los Angeles or anywhere else to get a flight. We want them flying out of Fresno<\/p>\n
Explained Dyer. <\/p>\n
The expansion adds two new domestic and international passenger gates, larger boarding areas to reduce congestion, and two additional aircraft parking positions.<\/p>\n
Security is also getting a major upgrade. The Transportation Security Administration checkpoint has expanded by 8,000 square feet, allowing TSA to operate up to five screening lanes at once.<\/p>\n
Fresno Yosemite International Airport unveils the largest terminal expansion project in the airport\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
City officials emphasized that the $150 million project was completed without using city general fund dollars.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no charge to the general fund,\u201d said Francisco Partida, Interim Director of Aviation. \u201cResidents that do not use the airport do not pay for the airport.\u201d<\/p>\n
Funding for the project came from federal infrastructure grants, including Federal Aviation Administration and TSA funding, passenger facility charges, Measure C funds and airport revenue bonds.<\/p>\n
City leaders say the project also had a significant economic impact, creating about 750 jobs, 500 of them filled by local workers.<\/p>\n
Beyond travel efficiency, Mayor Dyer said the expansion also reflects the identity of the Central Valley. <\/p>\n
New art installations throughout the terminal were created in partnership with the Fresno Arts Council and feature artwork inspired by the region\u2019s agricultural roots and landscape.<\/p>\n
Local artist Erik Niemann said his piece, Valley Deluge, draws inspiration from Lake Tulare.<\/p>\n
\u201cI abstract agricultural patterns. This painting is all about the reemergence of Lake Tulare \u201d Niemann said.<\/p>\n
Mayor Dyer said the artwork is meant to give travelers a sense of place the moment they arrive.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese murals reflect our people, our agricultural roots, and the beautiful landscape that makes our city so special and so unique,\u201d Dyer said.<\/p>\n
The terminal will also feature new local dining options, including Mad Duck and Los Amigos Mexican Restaurant. Both are expected to open by mid January.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) \u2014 City leaders gathered Wednesday for a ribbon cutting ceremony at Fresno Yosemite International Airport,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":99414,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":{"0":"post-99413","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fresno","8":"tag-fresno","9":"tag-fresno-headlines","10":"tag-fresno-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99413","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=99413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}