Delta Air Lines launches nonstop Fresno-Atlanta flights. It’s a red eye overnight.

Delta Air Lines’ first nonstop flight from Atlanta to Fresno took off Friday afternoon, marking the start of the longest-distance direct air service to Fresno Yosemite International Airport.

“It’s truly an exciting time for air travel here in Fresno,” Mayor Jerry Dyer said Friday. “The growth here is undeniable and it’s leading to bigger and better things for our entire city.”

The new nonstop service between Fresno and Atlanta will provide a wider range of connections for air travelers in the Central San Joaquin Valley, including to the East Coast, Latin America, Europe and Africa.

“By connecting with Atlanta, we are increasing Fresno’s visibility as an attractive, progressive city with diverse services to major transportation hubs,” Dyer said.

Atlanta’s flights will reach farther east than all others from Fresno — nearly 2,000 miles — surpassing the 1,750 miles of United Airlines’ seasonal service to Chicago. The inaugural flight departed from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport – the world’s busiest airport – around 7:45 p.m. Eastern Time and was scheduled to arrive in Fresno around 9 p.m. Pacific Time.

The first flight back to Atlanta, with red-eye at night, was scheduled to leave Fresno around 10:30 p.m. Friday and reach Atlanta Saturday at 5:52 a.m. Eastern Time, or about 2:52 a.m. Pacific Time. There is a three-hour time difference between Atlanta and Fresno.

Delta Air Lines initially announced the Fresno-Atlanta route last fall.

Dyer said he expects the new Atlanta route to add a record number of passengers traveling to and from Fresno. In 2023, the airport welcomed approximately 2.4 million passengers.

“We tend to exceed that number this calendar year,” he said. “I am confident that we will surpass the figure we had last year.”

Atlanta is one of the top 10 destinations for passengers flying out of Fresno Airport, Dyer added: “A direct flight like this makes all the sense in the world. »

Delta’s new flights, which are expected to be offered year-round, are just one part of expanded air service to Fresno.

United Airlines resumed seasonal nonstop service between Fresno and Chicago O’Hare International Airport in May, offering daily flights through October.

Southwest Airlines was scheduled to launch a new summer route between Fresno and Dallas’ Love Field with a weekly flight through September, complementing American Airlines’ existing year-round daily flights between Fresno and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

Delta will use 160-seat Boeing 737-800s for the new route.

The airline has, through an agreement with Utah-based SkyWest Airlines, operated flights between Fresno and Salt Lake City. This service has been a staple of the Fresno Airport for years, and Salt Lake City was the fifth destination for nonstop flights from Fresno in 2022, with just under 70,000 passengers.

But Delta also had some fits and starts in Fresno, sometimes offering — then later discontinuing — nonstop service to Los Angeles and Seattle.