Many More Flights: Exploring Atlanta’s Fast-Growing Transatlantic Market This Winter

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is on track to handle 110 million passengers this year, with the majority of that traffic (87%) coming from the dense domestic network of Delta Air Lines. But this winter, Atlanta is also experiencing substantial international growth. Looking at Cirium data for the upcoming week of December 14–20, the airport will have a 12% increase in its weekly transatlantic flights compared to the same period last year.

Much of this comes from Delta’s two new routes to Morocco and Ghana, part of its strategic plan to be the largest US carrier to Africa. But the start of a new route by one of the Middle Eastern giants, along with numerous frequency increases on existing routes, are driving the growth as well. With more exciting new routes planned for 2026, the world’s busiest airport is also becoming one of the US’s most important transatlantic gateways.

Atlanta’s New Transatlantic Routes This Winter

Atlanta’s winter transatlantic expansion started back in October when Delta launched its new route to Marrakech, the top tourist destination in Morocco. The three-times-weekly service is operated using Delta’s Boeing 767-400ER fleet. The route is currently scheduled as seasonal and set to end in May, but that will likely depend on the load factors the carrier is able to obtain over the coming months.

Then on Monday, Delta re-launched nonstop service from Atlanta to Accra, a route that it last flew in 2012. The new route operates with an Airbus A330-900, and complements the carrier’s existing year-round service to Accra from New York JFK Airport. It is currently scheduled to be seasonal through January, but Delta is likely testing the waters to a city where it has historically performed well, so there is every chance it could become a fixed service as well.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian emphasized that these new routes are part of the airline’s strategy to be the dominant US carrier to the African continent for both business and leisure travel:

“Today, Delta is the largest carrier to Africa from the US. While some of the other carriers have come and gone over the last number of years, we haven’t, we’ve stayed strong in Africa.”

But it’s not just Delta. Back in July, Etihad Airways became the second Middle East giant to fly to Atlanta (after Qatar Airways), connecting it with its home base at Abu Dhabi International Airport. This started as a four-times-weekly service, but demand on the route has been sufficient to see Etihad increase this to a daily nonstop service using its long-range Airbus A350-1000.

Other Frequency Increases At Atlanta

It’s not just new destinations this winter, but also expansion of existing routes. Delta has increased the frequency on five routes, adding ten additional weekly flights. However, it is worth noting that the increase to Cape Town International Airport comes with a corresponding decrease to Johannesburg Airport, as the airline shifts capacity to the more popular leisure destination for the Southern Hemisphere summer season. Turkish Airlines has also got in on the action, increasing its daily service to nine weekly flights from Europe’s busiest airpoirt.

The net result is that Atlanta has seen its number of weekly transatlantic flights grow from 187 last December to 209 for the same period this year, representing a 12% increase. The number of available seats has also increased 13% to nearly 60,000. In terms of the largest transatlantic gateways in the US, this has pushed Atlanta ahead of Miami International Airport (which has 201 weekly transatlantic flights), and into sixth place behind Boston Logan International Airport (232).

Further Transatlantic Growth Coming In 2026

We can expect to see even further growth in Atlanta in 2026, as Delta is gearing up for its largest transatlantic schedule ever from its various hubs. This will include the return of summer seasonal routes to Athens (March), Brussels (March), Edinburgh (April), Naples (May), Nice (May), and Zurich (April). Delta will also be resuming flights to Tel Aviv from Atlanta after a suspension, having already restarted daily service from JFK in September. The airline plans to restore service from April 15, operating three times weekly using an A350-900.

The most interesting new route that has been confirmed so far is Delta’s plan to fly non-stop to Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. It will be Delta’s first-ever route to Saudi Arabia, commencing in October and flying three times a week using an A350-900. The route is strategic to Delta as it further cements its partnership with Riyadh Air, which is itself starting full commercial operations in the coming months.

Next year is also when Delta expects to take delivery of the first aircraft from its order for 20 of the Airbus A350-1000. It is widely speculated, based on past comments from Bastian, that Delta will use the aircraft to fly routes from Atlanta to India, leveraging its partnership with IndiGo. The airline used to operate nonstop to Mumbai Airport, but the route was discontinued during the pandemic when it retired its long-range Boeing 777-200LR fleet.