Southwest plane lands midflight at Fresno Yosemite Airport

FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – A Southwest Airlines flight was forced to make a precautionary landing at Fresno Yosemite International Airport Saturday afternoon, the airline confirms.

Around 12:30 p.m. the flight crew notified the airport that it needed to land in Fresno after taking off from Los Angeles, with Reno being the intended destination.

The Boeing 737 landed about 15 minutes later and the airline says no injuries were reported.

The aircraft taxied the runway for several minutes before passengers were able to deboard and wait in the terminal for a replacement aircraft to arrive.

A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines issued 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.

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