A Delta Air Lines Airbus A350-900 is on display during an unveiling event for Delta’s Team USA livery for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, at the Airbus delivery center in Toulouse, southwest France, May 2, 2024.
Ed Jones | AFP | Getty Images
Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian said his airline was considering whether to launch a flight between Atlanta and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after escalating attacks claimed by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Flights between Riyadh and Delta’s largest hub are scheduled to begin on October 23.
Three people were killed in attacks at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport as the Houthis intensified their strikes in the country, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said.
“Obviously we were disappointed to see the news this week,” Bastian told CNBC in an interview. “Security will make the decision.”
He said the airline would soon inform its customers of its decision. German airline Lufthansa said it was suspending flights to Saudi Arabia until at least October 16, a spokesperson told CNBC.
Delta plans to operate the Atlanta-Riyadh flight daily from October 23-30 before transitioning to three times weekly service. When it announced the route earlier this year, Delta said it would be the first nonstop service between the United States and Riyadh operated by a U.S. airline.
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