Summary Two Southwest flights diverted to Fresno in less than two weeks, landing safely without incident. Flight 3113 declared an emergency landing at FAT due to unknown maintenance indication. Southwest operates a unique budget airline model with a fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft.
Two Southwest aircraft diverted to Fresno Yosemite International (FAT) in less than two weeks. The first diversion occurred on July 27th, and the latest was two days ago, on August 7th. On both occasions, the planes landed safely without incident.
Flight 353 The first diversion occurred on July 27th’s Flight 353, during the scheduled leg from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Reno Tahoe International (RNO) in Nevada. According to Your Central Valley , around 12:30 pm local time, the flight crew notified the airport that it needed to land at FAT. The aircraft didn’t declare an emergency, suggesting that the problem was not an immediate threat but enough to warrant an early landing.
The aircraft landed safely at FAT roughly 15 minutes after the initial radio call. The airline reported that no injuries were sustained by anyone onboard. Passengers had to deplane and wait at the terminal until a replacement plane from Reno arrived.
Southwest released a statement saying: “Our crew operating Flight 353 from Los Angeles to Reno this (Saturday) afternoon followed our procedures and safely diverted to Fresno after the aircraft experienced an engine performance issue. There are no reported injuries following the safe arrival. The aircraft taxied to the terminal where our technical team will review the aircraft.
We have substitute aircraft arriving shortly from Las Vegas to get these customers on their way, with our apology for the necessary stop. Our people in the terminal at FAT are working with them on any issues caused by their now-three-hours delayed arrival at Reno aboard another aircraft, as we place nothing higher than safety.” According to FlightAware , the replacement aircraft departed FAT for RNO roughly 3 hours and 20 minutes later and arrived at its destination 40 minutes later.
Flight 3113 On Wednesday, during Flight 3113’s leg from John Wayne Airport (SNA) to Sacramento International Airport (SMF), the aircraft diverted to FAT and declared an emergency, suggesting the issue was safety-sensitive. According to Your Central Valley , the cause of the emergency landing is unknown, with the airline only mentioning that the pilots received a maintenance indication. The plane landed safely without incident, and the airline said passengers would be put on a replacement aircraft.
The aircraft departed nearly five hours after the emergency landing and reached SMF 26 minutes later. Simple Flying has contacted Southwest for a statement regarding the circumstances of the diversion and the aircraft's condition. About Southwest Southwest Airlines pioneered the very successful budget airline business model, which has been adopted by airlines worldwide, notably by Ryan Air and Spirit Airlines.
The model is unique as it uses a rolling hub and point-to-point network, compared to other US airlines, which rely on a hub-and-spoke system. The airline also exclusively operates a fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft. According to Planespotters.
net , the airline has a fleet of 817 aircraft, with another 43 on the way. The fleet includes the 737-700, -800 and MAX 8. Southwest will also incorporate the MAX 7 into its fleet and is awaiting delivery of 31 aircraft.
In 2020, the DOT released a report that suggested the airline was operating aircraft with safety concerns . The subsequent investigation was supposedly stonewalled by Southwest officials, according to whistleblowers. The theft was unearthed after an in-house investigation by Southwest.
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