Delta Pushes Atlanta-Riyadh Launch to March 2027 as Houthis Warn Airlines Off Saudi Airports

Since the first Houthi strikes on Saudi airports last Thursday, Oct. 8, the fallout has moved from the runway to the departure board and the oil market. On Monday, Oct. 12, Delta Air Lines scrapped its Oct. 23 launch of Atlanta-Riyadh service, and the Houthis put the world's airlines on notice.

Delta pulls the plug on its Riyadh launch

Delta said its nonstop flights from Atlanta to King Khalid International Airport are now delayed until March 2027. The airline cited "evolving developments in the region."

"The safety and security of our customers and employees always come first and continue to guide our operational decisions," Delta said in a statement. The company said it remains in close contact with government and aviation partners, including Saudia and Riyadh Air.

The route would have been the first nonstop commercial flight from the United States to Saudi Arabia by a U.S. airline. No U.S. carrier flies there directly today. Saudia, the kingdom's flag carrier, operates nonstop to New York, Dulles near Washington, and Los Angeles.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC on Thursday that the company had been weighing the postponement for a few days. Delta and Riyadh Air announced their partnership in 2024.

Customers already booked can change flights or request refunds through Delta's website and app.

Houthis widen the warning

On Monday the Houthis said they had targeted King Khalid airport with a ballistic missile and called the strike "accurate." The Saudi-led coalition's spokesman, Turki al-Maliki, said forces intercepted and destroyed the missile fired toward Riyadh. Saudi civil defense issued a security alert for the capital, then said the danger had passed.

The Houthis also warned international airlines that all Saudi airports except those in Mecca and Medina are unsafe.

The group says its attacks are retaliation for "brutal Saudi aggression" against areas it controls in western Yemen. The Houthi-run health ministry said a child was killed and six people were injured in a Saudi air strike on a home in Sanaa on Sunday.

A Saudi-led coalition is providing air support to Yemeni pro-government forces fighting the Houthis on the Red Sea coast and elsewhere.

The airport attacks have been deadly. Saudi aviation authorities said a Pakistani resident was killed Sunday when a projectile hit Terminal 4. A day earlier, a missile strike on Terminal 3 killed 13 people of multiple nationalities, including one American. Two Thursday strikes killed three Saudis, including a Saudia pilot. King Fahd International Airport in Dammam was also attacked Sunday evening, with no casualties reported.

Washington tells travelers to be careful

The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia issued a security alert Monday urging Americans to use "extreme caution" at Saudi airports. It warned of possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions. U.S. government employees in the kingdom now need special authorization for some travel.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued its own warning to airlines on Sunday about flying to or near Saudi Arabia. It is set to remain in effect until Dec. 10.

Thousands of flights at Riyadh have been canceled since last week, and the airport was closed again Monday.

Oil and gas prices

Brent crude closed near $106 a barrel Monday, up roughly $1.20 from Friday, after peaking at $107.33 during the session. West Texas Intermediate hit $94.36 and closed at $93.16.

The jump rides on top of a market already rattled by the U.S.-Iran war, now in its eighth month, and Iran's restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. AAA put the national average for regular gasoline at about $4.36 a gallon Monday, up roughly $1.28 from a year ago. Diesel is about $2.60 higher than a year ago.

Trump announced Friday that Russia would supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel "immediately," with larger volumes to follow, in a bid to ease prices ahead of the midterms. GasBuddy's Patrick De Haan said Monday he was "skeptical" it will "deliver significant relief to the trucking industry and consumers who depend on diesel."

What Washington and Riyadh do next

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman told the WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh that "the events of recent weeks are serious. Our response must be equally serious." He also acknowledged that "energy security cannot be taken for granted."

Trump said Saturday that the U.S. "may" join Saudi Arabia in responding to the Houthis. "We will make a decision. We move very quickly," he told reporters. He has also said this week that the U.S. would not launch another attack on Iran before the midterms. Neither statement spells out whether U.S. action in Yemen would count.

No decision on U.S. involvement has been announced. The FAA warning stays in force through Dec. 10, and Delta's rescheduled launch sits five months out.