Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian is weighing whether to proceed with plans to launch a new route to Saudi Arabia later this month, following a Houthi attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport.

Bastian said in an interview that the decision on whether to launch the route "will be determined by security conditions."

The direct flight from Atlanta to Riyadh, the Saudi capital, had been scheduled to begin on October 23.

On May 2, 2024, at the Airbus delivery center in Toulouse, France, a Delta Air Lines Airbus A350-900 featuring a special livery for the U.S. Olympic team bound for the Paris Games was unveiled.

With attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen on Saudi Arabia escalating, the CEO of Delta Air Lines (DAL) said the carrier is assessing whether to launch its direct Atlanta-to-Riyadh route as scheduled.

The route connecting Riyadh with Atlanta, Delta's largest hub, was originally set to begin operations on October 23.

Saudi civil aviation authorities reported that the Houthis have intensified their strikes on Saudi Arabia, with an attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killing three people.

"We were obviously disappointed to see the news this week," Bastian said in an interview. "Whether we launch will be determined by security conditions."

He said the airline would announce its final decision to passengers soon.

A Lufthansa spokesperson confirmed that the German carrier has suspended flights to Saudi Arabia until at least October 16.

Under the plan, Delta's Atlanta-Riyadh route was to operate daily from October 23 to 30, then shift to three flights per week.

When the route was announced earlier this year, Delta said it would be the first nonstop service by a U.S. airline between the United States and Riyadh.