Delta delays debut of Saudi Arabia service until March after Riyadh airport attacks

A Delta Air Lines Airbus A350-900 plane.Loren Elliott | ReutersDelta Air Lines said it will delay the launch of its nonstop service between Atlanta and the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh until March after several deadly attacks hit the city's airport there.Delta planned to begin the route on Oct. 23, with an Airbus A350-900 widebody plane, in what would have marked the first nonstop commercial flight between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.But since Thursday, thousands of flights have been canceled to and from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, about half the schedule, according to Flightradar24. The deadly attacks, claimed by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, escalated Saturday, when a projectile struck a passenger terminal at the airport, officials said, killing at least 12 people and wounding more than 300."We remain in close contact with relevant government and aviation partners, including Saudia and Riyadh Air, as we monitor the situation," the airline said in a statement. "Saudi Arabia remains an important market for Delta, and we are committed to serving the Kingdom for the long-term."Delta CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC on Thursday that the airline hadn't yet decided whether to post...