Delta Air Lines had high aspirations for its new route to Saudi Arabia, with the airline scheduling nonstop flights from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to Riyadh Airport (RUH). Claims have arisen that the airline has sold barely any seats on its new route to the Kingdom, and now the airline has admitted that demand is ‘softer’ than expected.

The airline remains optimistic that its new gateway will grow in demand; however, due to ongoing tension in the Middle East, it is no surprise that demand for travel to the region could be subdued. Delta is on track to commence its new route to Riyadh with the Airbus A350-900 from October 23.

Delta’s High Hopes For Riyadh Have Resulted In Just Five Seats Sold

Credit: Delta Air Lines

Aviation analyst Enilria has suggested that while the airline is experiencing softer-than-usual demand on the route, international long-haul is usually around only 50-60% booked out. A look at the Delta seat-map for its upcoming inaugural flight shows just a total of five seats are sold, with three in the business class cabin. Does this mean that the airline will still persevere with the new service?

Delta plans to launch new services to Riyadh as part of its continued expansion for new nonstop international routes. The airline has partnered with Riyadh Air and hopes to tap into the growing business market in Saudi Arabia. The strategic partnership with Riyadh Air puts Delta in a prominent position and makes it the first airline in the US in decades to serve the Kingdom with nonstop flights.

The economic and business ties for Delta and its services to Riyadh look to capitalize on growing commercial, financial, and investment ties between the US and Saudi Arabia, and the inaugural flight from Atlanta is timed to align with the Riyadh Future Investment Initiative conference being held at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center (KAICC) between October 26 and October 29.

Cancellations Are Rife Throughout The Region Due To Ongoing Tension

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Given the escalated tensions in the Middle East, several major airlines are canceling services to the region amid subdued demand and risk of flying aircraft through unpredictable conditions. Air France has pushed back on resuming services to Dubai (DXB), Riyadh and Beirut (BEY), and remains on a rolling suspension.

KLM has shelved services to Riyadh, Dammam and Dubai until late August, while British Airways will pause services until late October for flights to Dubai, Tel Aviv (TLV), Bahrain (BAH) and Amman (AMM). Jeddah (JED) is off the cards with no set resumption date. Lufthansa has suspended flights to Dubai until September, and operations to the remainder of the region are still up in the air.

Air Canada has axed its services to Dubai and Tel Aviv until the end of October, and Finnair has delayed some flights to Dubai until the end of October, while Doha (DOH) has no resumption date. Singapore Airlines has pushed back its plans to resume flights ot Dubai until October, while Scoot has axed its Jeddah service as part of a rolling cancellation.

King Khalid International Airport Services To The United States

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While no other US carrier provides flights to Saudi Arabia, the airline’s current flag carrier Saudia operates year-round services from Riyadh to New York JFK Airport (JFK) and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), among a range of other short and long-haul international services to destinations in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe. King Khalid International Airport is the hub for four carriers, as below:

Riyadh Air, while its current route map offers services to Cairo, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuala Lumpur, London, Madrid, Malaga and Manchester, will ramp up with three new routes to Dhaka, Kuala Lumpur and Mumbai in the coming weeks. The airline also has recently been granted US DOT approval to launch services to the United States, which are set to be a jewel in the network’s crown.

It remains to be seen whether Delta will continue with its Riyadh plans as it stands; when the route starts, Delta will be the only mainland US carrier to connect the United States and Saudi Arabia. Riyadh is the largest city in the kingdom and is home to around seven million people.