Saudi Arabia’s Aviation Ambitions Just Got Grounded

A week of Houthi strikes on Saudi airports suspends flights, kills confidence, and threatens the kingdom’s broader aviation ambitions, Delta delays its landmark Riyadh launch as its entire Gulf strategy goes on hold, and India emerges as Skyscanner’s biggest market with travelers who want more trips but fewer extras. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift’s Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why rebuilding traveler confidence in Saudi aviation is a much harder problem than repairing terminals, what Delta’s Riyadh delay means for its Middle East strategy, and what India’s fast-shifting travel habits reveal about where the next wave of global tourism growth is coming from. This episode is brought to you by ZS Articles Referenced: Connect with Tasmin Lockwood Saudi Arabia’s Aviation Ambitions Meet a Week of Terror Delta Air Lines Delays Riyadh Service to March 2027 India Is Now Skyscanner’s Biggest Market and Nearly Half Its Searches Go Abroad Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.