Route News for Oct. 11, 2026: No New Routes Announced as Riyadh Suspensions Widen

Sunday, October 11, 2026

No airline announced a new route in the past 24 hours. The weekend’s route news is all on the other side of the ledger: after a second attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport (RUH) on Saturday, October 10, SriLankan Airlines pulled its Riyadh flights until October 18, and Air India and Air India Express extended their Riyadh cancellations into the middle of the week. Delta’s first Atlanta–Riyadh flight, due October 23, is still under review.

New Routes

Nothing qualifies today. We checked AeroRoutes, Aviation Week’s rolling Routes & Networks update, Routesonline, Airline Geeks, The Points Guy, One Mile at a Time, View from the Wing and the Alaska and Frontier newsrooms. The newest route announcements on any of them are dated Friday, October 9, which falls outside the 24-hour window.

ADVERTISEMENT

On the watch list: Delta, Atlanta (ATL) → Riyadh (RUH)

This is not a new announcement, but it is the route US airline employees are watching. Delta’s launch remains scheduled and unconfirmed at the same time.

• Airline: Delta Air Lines
• Route: Atlanta (ATL) → Riyadh (RUH)
• Start date: October 23, 2026, as scheduled; under review
• Frequency: Daily through October 30, then three times weekly
• Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
• Status: CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC on Friday, “Safety is going to make the call.” Delta had made no official announcement as of Saturday, October 10. Revised start date, if any: TBA.

Routes Being Discontinued

All three entries below are temporary suspensions tied to the Riyadh airport closure, not permanent cuts. None of the airlines published the exact last flight operated, so that field is TBA.

SriLankan Airlines: Colombo (CMB) → Riyadh (RUH)

• Airline: SriLankan Airlines
• Route: Colombo (CMB) → Riyadh (RUH), all flights
• Last day of service: TBA
• Effective: Suspended until October 18, 2026 (announced October 10). The airline says flights return only once conditions are judged suitable, so October 18 is not a guaranteed restart.

Air India Express: four South India cities → Riyadh (RUH)

• Airline: Air India Express
• Route: Bengaluru (BLR), Kochi (COK), Kannur (CNN) and Kozhikode (CCJ) → Riyadh (RUH); 16 weekly flights in total
• Last day of service: TBA
• Effective: Cancelled through October 14, 2026. The extension was announced Saturday, October 10; the earlier cancellation ran through October 10. Restart date: TBA.

Air India: Delhi (DEL) and Mumbai (BOM) → Riyadh (RUH)

• Airline: Air India
• Route: Delhi (DEL) and Mumbai (BOM) → Riyadh (RUH); seven weekly flights in total
• Last day of service: TBA
• Effective: Cancelled through October 15, 2026. The extension was announced Saturday, October 10; the earlier cancellation ran through October 10. Restart date: TBA.

Context: the Riyadh closure

Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority suspended operations at King Khalid International after Saturday’s attack, which The National reports killed 12 people and injured 309. An aviation notice kept the airport closed until midnight Sunday, with no time given for passenger flights to resume, and Flightradar24 listed 655 Riyadh flights as cancelled on Sunday.

Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia are cancelling Riyadh flights day by day rather than suspending the route outright. Sources differ on how far Etihad’s cancellations run: Gulf News says through October 12, while The National lists individual Abu Dhabi–Riyadh flights cancelled into Tuesday, October 13. We could not open an Etihad release to settle it, so check with the airline before listing for that route.

Airport codes were added for reference where a source named only the city. Suspension dates are changing quickly; confirm with the airline before you travel.

Sources

• Xinhua, “SriLankan Airlines suspends Riyadh flights until Oct. 18”: https://english.news.cn/20261010/c97f4fa2ea994f4daa8a40ec8ab1836f/c.html
• Travel And Tour World, “SriLankan Airlines Riyadh Flights Suspended Until October 18 After Saudi Arabia Airport Security Scare”: https://travelandtourworld.com/news/article/t6txndofpylc
• ETV Bharat, “AI Express, Air India Extend Cancellation Of Riyadh Flights”: https://www.etvbharat.com/en/bharat/air-india-express-and-air-india-extend-cancellation-of-riyadh-flights-enn26101005507
• The Week, “Riyadh airport attacked again as Air India, Air India Express cancel more flights”: https://www.theweek.in/news/middle-east/2026/10/10/air-india-air-india-express-cancel-more-riyadh-flights-as-houthi-crisis-intensifies.html
• The National, “Riyadh airport closure: Emirates, Etihad and other UAE airlines cancel flights”: https://www.thenationalnews.com/travel/2026/10/11/riyadh-airport-closure-emirates-etihad-cancel-flights-sunday-monday/
• Gulf News, “Latest UAE Flight Updates: Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, and Air Arabia Cancellations and Delays”: https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/uae-flight-status-today-list-of-cancellations-delays-and-latest-travel-advisories-to-know-1.500706303
• Khaleej Times, “Saudi Arabia suspends Riyadh airport operations after fresh attack; injuries reported”: https://khaleejtimes.com/business/aviation/riyadh-suspend-king-khalid-international-airport-operations-oct-10-2026
• Benzinga, “Delta Air Lines Reviews Riyadh Flights After Deadly Attacks”: https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/26/10/62287803/delta-air-lines-reviews-riyadh-flights-attacks
• Hoodline, “Delta Atlanta-Riyadh Flight in Doubt After Saudi Airport Attacks”: https://hoodline.com/2026/10/delta-weighs-launching-atlanta-riyadh-flight-after-deadly-airport-attacks/
• Travelers Today, “Riyadh Airport Struck by Houthis: 12 Killed, Flights Suspended Amid US Warning”: https://www.travelerstoday.com/articles/61105/20261011/riyadh-airport-struck-houthis-12-killed-flights-suspended-amid-us-warning.htm
• AeroRoutes, home page (checked for new-route items; latest dated October 9): https://www.aeroroutes.com/
• Aviation Week, “Routes & Networks Latest: Rolling Daily Updates (W/C October 5, 2026)” (checked; latest entries dated October 9): https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airports-networks/routes-networks-latest-rolling-daily-updates-wc-october-5-2026