Delta Air Lines CEO has launched a new flight route he claims will be America's favorite, in spite of controversy

Delta Air Lines is the first American airline to offer a direct connection from the US to Saudi Arabia.

When the new route was announced, some people raised their eyebrows.

But the CEO says this is a popular route, and it’ll be even more popular in the future.

And numbers prove he’s right.

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Why Delta Air Lines is now flying to Saudi Arabia

Delta Air Lines recently announced a new nonstop flight to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital city, as well as the country’s most important financial hub.

The flight will start from Delta’s Atlanta hub, taking off three times a week from October 2026.

Not everyone welcomed the news with a smile, but the American airline CEO believes this is the right move.

And numbers seem to agree with him.

Last year, around 700,000 American travelers visited Saudi Arabia, and that number has been growing consistently for at least a decade.

Time will tell because one of two things will happen.

Either people will use it, in which case we’ll probably have more direct flights from the US to Riyadh, or they won’t, in which case it’ll be discontinued quite quickly.

Airlines don’t need begging when it comes to axing unprofitable routes.

Does Saudi Arabia want to be the ‘new’ Dubai?

Some people are calling Saudi Arabia the ‘new’ Dubai.

One is a country and the other is a city, but the comparison stems from Saudi Arabia’s attempt to take a couple of leaves out of the United Arab Emirates’ book.

Both are using the considerable revenue they earn from selling natural resources like oil to turn themselves into a major tourist destination, as well as a financial hub.

And it’s working.

Saudi Arabia is also doing something else because it’s using soccer as a marketing tool, so to speak.

Famously, former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo was the first player to sign up to a lucrative contract there.

But then several other players followed, from Karim Benzema to ex-Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez.