Delta Air Lines has delayed the launch of its direct service between Atlanta and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, following weekend strikes by Houthi rebels based in neighboring Yemen on the city's King Khalid International Airport, the carrier announced Monday. The airport at press time remained temporarily closed.
"We remain in close contact with relevant government and aviation partners, including Saudia and Riyadh Air, as we monitor the situation," Delta said in a statement.
Delta now plans to launch nonstop Atlanta-Riyadh service in March 2027. The previous start date had been Oct. 23, 2026. The carrier initially announced the route in October 2025.
Delta encourages customers with affected travel plans to visit the My Trips section of the carrier's website or app to review their options, including refunds.
Global Carrier Disruptions
The series of attacks killed at least 13 people on Saturday, and the airport was subject to further strikes on Sunday and Monday. The Houthi attacks have also targeted other Saudi airports in Jeddah and Damman.
Lufthansa Group, which in September had resumed flights from Frankfurt to Riyadh, said that it had suspended all service to Saudi Arabia until at least Oct. 16.
Gulf-based carriers Emirates, Etihad Airways and Flydubai also suspended flights to Saudi Arabia for the next few days, alongside Indian airlines Air India and IndiGo.
"We continue to monitor the situation closely, and we will update our customers through our official channels regarding any amendments to our flight schedules," said a Flydubai spokesperson.
The attacks by the Houthis on Saudi airports has led Europe's aviation safety body, EASA, to upgrade its safety advice to airlines flying through the country's airspace.
"These recurrent missile and drone attacks, together with the activation of air defense systems, create an increased risk of misidentification of civil aircraft, as well as risks associated with missile and drone overflights, interception activity and falling debris," EASA said in its advisory.
Several major European airlines, including Air France, KLM and British Airways, had been due to resume flights to Saudi Arabia later this month or in early November.