Houthi Attacks on Saudi Airports Disrupt Riyadh Flights; Delta Postpones Atlanta-Riyadh Launch to March 2027

Houthi attacks on airports in Saudi Arabia, including the capital Riyadh, have made travel to the country and the wider Middle East more unpredictable this fall. The latest attacks last Saturday killed 13 people and wounded hundreds; a further strike the following day killed one person and injured about a dozen more.

Flights to and from Riyadh have been suspended all week. The airport is set to reopen on Sunday, though that has yet to be confirmed. Many aircraft continue to fly over eastern Saudi Arabia, including on routes to hubs in Qatar and Dubai and onward to East Asia.

The Houthis are an Iran-backed Yemeni militant group that controls territory around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping route linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. They have been attacking Saudi infrastructure amid an escalating regional conflict. Saudi Arabia has supported Yemen's internationally recognized government in the civil war that began in 2014.

On Monday, Delta Air Lines postponed the launch of its new Atlanta-to-Riyadh route, originally due to begin on October 23, until March 2027. Delta said Saudi Arabia remains an important market and that it is committed to serving the Kingdom for the long term. Its waiver covers customers traveling to, from or through Riyadh between October 23 and March 26: eligible passengers can change their flight without a change fee or cancel for a refund or credit, and a rebooked trip must begin by May 31, 2027. Other airlines may offer waivers with different terms.

The US State Department has told Americans to reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia because of the risk of missile and drone attacks, armed conflict and terrorism, warning of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions. The UK Foreign Office says there is a heightened threat to airports and other infrastructure across Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, Jeddah and Abha.

The Federal Aviation Administration warned US airlines on Sunday that the threats could pose risks during overflights, takeoffs and landings in Saudi Arabia.

Aviation-risk company Osprey Flight Solutions said unannounced missile launches through civilian airspace can pose a "latent hazard to flight operations at all altitudes," including from a malfunctioning missile, debris and sudden route diversions. It said further attacks on Saudi aviation and energy infrastructure are likely in the short term.

Travelers are advised to check their airline's app or website before going to the airport, since flights may have been canceled or automatically rebooked.

Delta's decision shows how a new long-haul route sits at the mercy of conditions on the ground long before the first departure. A launch date set months earlier carries commitments in crew, aircraft allocation and ticket sales, and a security advisory can undo all three at once. Pushing a start date back by several months, instead of cancelling, keeps the slot and the market relationship while the risk picture clears.

For operators flying near the Gulf, the hazard is not confined to the airport itself. When a risk assessment describes launches through civilian airspace as a hazard at all altitudes, and a regulator flags overflights alongside takeoffs and landings, flight planning has to treat the whole corridor as exposed. That is why routing through hubs in Qatar and Dubai toward East Asia stays sensitive to developments in Saudi airspace even when those airports are not the target.

The next concrete signal is whether Riyadh airport actually reopens on Sunday, since that date is still unconfirmed. Beyond it, the waiver window running to March 26 and Delta's March 2027 relaunch give the clearest dated markers for how long carriers expect the disruption to last.