Fresno, CA

What the Data Says About FAT

Fresno, CA in Fresno, California handled 133,263 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 83% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 22,700 experienced delays, 895 were cancelled, and 211 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 0.67%, the diversion rate to 0.16%, and the average delay when departures run late is 75.9 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing FAT against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at FAT, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 47.8% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 32.4% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 13.6%. Weather contributes 6.0% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.3%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, September runs the cleanest at FAT with a 93.7% on-time rate, while December is the roughest at 90.1% — a 4-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in July, when average flights hit 2,057. The busiest route from FAT is to FAT (Fresno), with 8,636 flights at a 75.6% on-time rate. Combine these numbers — 83% on-time, 75.9-minute average delay, 0.67% cancellation rate — and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Fresno, CA.