Fresno Yosemite International Airport sees up to nearly two million passengers passing through it each year. However, those flying through the Californian airport over the last week may have been left frustrated amid fuel shortages causing delays and cancellations.

Changing plans

Notably, officials confirmed that fuel operation problems caused difficulties yesterday morning. However, there have been complaints from even earlier in the week.

ABC30 reports that, to get travelers in the air, aircraft are departing from their previous airport with extra fuel so they don't need to refill in Fresno. Alternatively, they are getting a small top-up in Fresno before stopping at another airport on their way to their final destination. Airports such as nearby Bakersfield are helping with these efforts.

Looking at data from RadarBox.com, there were several delays on Sunday. For instance, Delta Flight DL3661 left for Salt Lake City over two hours late. Meanwhile, Allegiant Flight G423 left for Las Vegas nearly four hours later than scheduled. Other delays include a SkyWest flight to Los Angeles that left over an hour later than planned. Certain services from carriers to the likes of Denver and Chicago were also canceled.

Fresno
Several major carriers serve Fresno Airport. Fresno Yosemite International Airport

Customer frustrations

Passengers took to Twitter to vent about the problem. Amid these concerns, Fresno Airport took the opportunity to highlight that the issue lays with the airlines and their providers.

The airport replied to the following when a frustrated customer tweeted it along with American Airlines.

“Each airline has a business relationship with an independent fuel provider at the airport. At this time, the fuel providers have not indicated they are out of fuel.”

Altogether, management at Fresno shares that it has no involvement in the fueling procedure. Moreover, it’s yet to be determined what is actually causing the vendors to fall short.

Additionally, an American Airlines spokesperson has informed Simple Flying that the carrier’s operation at Fresno Airport is not experiencing a fuel shortage.

Fueling requires careful planning and consistency. Even throughout the pandemic, when operations were rocked globally, suppliers managed to keep on top of things. For instance, Gazpromneft-Aero managed to keep its partners moving while making sure that its employees were safe. Additional safety measures along with ongoing communication helped the company fuel numerous airlines across the globe.

Stay informed: Sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests.

Altogether, airlines serving Fresno will be keen to overcome these refueling challenges. Aeroméxico, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Connection, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and Volaris all head to the airport. It is high season at the spot amid an abundance of tourists looking to visit Yosemite National Park this summer.

Yosemite Valley
Fresno is often the airport of choice for visits to natural wonders such as the Yosemite Valley. Photo: Mark J. Miller via Wikimedia Commons

There has been an increased focus on national operations amid ongoing international travel restrictions. As a result, carriers have been scaling up services to airports near popular domestic natural hotspots. For instance, Delta recently expanded leisure flying to Fresno. Moreover, earlier this year, Southwest announced four daily roundtrip flights to the site.

Simple Flying reached out to Fresno Yosemite International Airport about the fuel shortage reports. We will update the article with any further comments from the airport.

What are your thoughts about fuel shortages leading to flight cancellations at Fresno Airport? Are you surprised about this happening at the Californian airport? Let us know what you think of the overall situation and how could will play out in the comment section.