An air-blast fuel nozzle assembly includes a housing having an inner surface defining an interior chamber around a central axis. The inner surface terminates in an exit aperture. An air swirler pneumatically communicates with the interior chamber and has vanes operative to impart a swirling motion to air passing across the vanes and into the interior chamber. A fuel injection assembly includes a nozzle portion extending along the central axis and having a plurality of outlets circumferentially-arranged around the central axis that are directed into the interior chamber toward the inner surface of the housing. A shield extends radially outwardly from the nozzle portion upstream of the plurality of outlets. The shield extends between a base at the nozzle section and a free tip end such that the shield extends partially across the interior chamber toward the inner surface.