In July 2024, Delta and Riyadh Air announced plans to launch a partnership, which would include the Atlanta-based airline launching flights to Saudi Arabia. At the time, the airline didn’t announce which route it would launch, but now we officially know…
Delta plans to fly to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Several months ago, JonNYC had the scoop on how Delta planned to announce a nonstop flight between Atlanta (ATL) and Riyadh (RUH). JonNYC is typically spot on, though up until now, there has been no official, public communication of this. That has now changed.
As also flagged by JonNYC, Delta CEO Ed Bastian has today publicly announced that the airline plans to launch this route. Bastian reportedly said the route would launch “in the fall.” I’d assume that means next fall (like, in 2026), though given the economics of this route, who knows.
Delta will operate the 7,283-mile route with an Airbus A350. I’ll of course provide an update when the flight actually goes on sale. Beyond that, Delta also plans to resume flights between Atlanta and Tel Aviv (TLV) as of the spring of 2026.
For context, Riyadh Air is Saudi Arabia’s ambitious new airline startup, which is launching flights very shortly (though they’re not initially on sale to the public). It’s logical enough that Delta would choose to fly out of Atlanta, as I imagine that Riyadh to New York (JFK) will be among Riyadh Air’s first long haul routes, so Delta would want to serve a complementary market, by routing people via its Atlanta mega-hub.
What’s Delta’s logic for launching flights to Riyadh?
At least in the short term, Delta’s motivation for flying to Riyadh is clear. Saudi Arabia is providing massive subsidies to any airline willing to fly to Riyadh, to the point that they basically can’t lose money flying to the country.
There aren’t many airlines that love subsidies and loopholes more than Delta, so clearly that’s the motivation here. It’s not like US carriers actually directly make that much money flying people, so if the airline can be assured it won’t lose money flying to Saudi Arabia, that’s a good deal!
Is there a bigger long term play here, though? Sure, potentially. Riyadh Air’s goals are clear — the airline is funded by the government of Saudi Arabia, and the intent is to increase connectivity to and from Riyadh, and to boost tourism, as part of the country’s long term vision. The argument is that Riyadh has been underserved for years, given the size of the population.
We’re seeing Riyadh Air establish partnerships with other airlines ahead of launch. In addition to Delta, Riyadh Air is also partnering with Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic, so it’s pretty clear the “ecosystem” in which the airline is focusing.
Many years down the road, I could see Riyadh being a logical connecting points for Delta, once Riyadh Air’s network matures. That’s especially true if the two airlines have a close partnership.
The reality is that unlike American and United, Delta is really weak in the Middle East, and doesn’t otherwise have a “preferred” partner, meaning many points in the Middle East, Africa, and India, are without good connecting opportunities. So Delta is doing what it can here, and something is better than nothing.
But personally I don’t see this as some gold mine for the airline, and there’s no denying that from a US-centric perspective, flying through Riyadh isn’t considered as “glitzy” as flying through somewhere like Dubai.
Bottom line
Delta CEO Ed Bastian has officially confirmed that the airline plans to launch flights between Atlanta and Riyadh, though we’re still waiting for more details beyond that. We’ve known that Delta would serve Riyadh, but the route has now officially been confirmed.
I understand the long term plan for Delta to partner with Riyadh Air, as Riyadh Air grows its network. In the short term, this seems mainly like an effort to chase subsidies, which is something that Delta is really good. It’s the same reason that the airline flies to Brisbane (BNE).
But I’m sure someone will be along shortly to tell us that I’m wrong, and that Delta is really playing 4D chess, and you know, Delta is really on the leading edge of culinary innovation, or something.
What do you make of Delta launching Atlanta to Riyadh flights?
