Delta’s New Flight to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Goes on Sale Tomorrow

Updated: June 8, 2026, 6:49am CDT

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Fly Nonstop From Atlanta to Riyadh With Delta
Delta Is First U.S. Airline To Offer Flights to Saudi Arabia
Final Thoughts

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Saudi Arabia is pushing hard to become the next biggest tourist destination, and Delta recently became the first U.S. airline to vie for a piece of the pie.

Back in late October, the Atlanta-headquartered carrier announced its plans to offer nonstop flights between Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Riyadh (RUH) — the Saudi Arabian capital.

“Our new flights will connect customers to this dynamic, fast-growing region while delivering the care, comfort, and reliability they expect,” said Ed Bastian, Delta’s CEO, at the time of the original announcement. Now, we know that these flights will go on sale tomorrow, December 20, 2025.

Here’s everything we know about Delta’s exciting new route.

Fly Nonstop From Atlanta to Riyadh With Delta

Delta will start this new route onOctober 23, 2026. At 7,283 miles between ATL and RUH, it will be one of the longest in Delta’s network.

Outbound flights to Riyadh should take around 13 hours. Due to headwinds and jet streams, the flight back to Atlanta will likely be considerably longer — at around 15 hours.

Atlanta to Riyadh with Delta — Delta’s new route from Atlanta to Riyadh spans over 7,000 miles. Image Credit: Great Circle Mapper

Passengers embarking on the mammoth journey will do so on board Delta’s Airbus A350-900 aircraft. Among its fleet’s most modern and comfortable, Delta’s Airbus A350s feature lie-flat seats in Delta One, Delta Premium Select (premium economy), and Delta Comfort and Delta Main Cabin options in economy.

These flights will launch with daily service during the first week, from October 23 to 30, 2026. After that, the ATL-RUH route will operate 3 times weekly.

Delta Is First U.S. Airline To Offer Flights to Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is undergoing a major rebrand to attract visitors who have never before considered a trip there.

Until now, the presence of international carriers has been limited. For example, only recently has Virgin Atlantic started flying to the Kingdom.

Even Saudia, the nation’s current flag carrier, has limited flights outside the Arabian Peninsula and India. Presently, it’s the only airline offering nonstop flights between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. The SkyTeam carrier offers services between Saudi Arabia and New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), and Washington-Dulles (IAD) from its hubs in Riyadh and Jeddah (JED).

Delta is wise to plan this far ahead to capitalize on its status as the only U.S. airline with Saudi Arabia in its network.

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Final Thoughts

Starting on October 23, 2026, Delta will launch its first-ever route from Atlanta to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Given the Gulf nation’s tourism drive — and the launch of numerous premium hotels in the country — we’d expect it won’t be long before American or United follow suit with their own Riyadh route announcements.

Now that we have a confirmed start date for service, we also know Delta will put these flights on sale tomorrow, December 20.