Delta Air Lines will launch direct flights to Saudi Arabia in October, the first by a US carrier in 25 years, the airline’s president told Semafor. Flights will begin just ahead of Saudi Arabia’s flagship annual conference, the Future Investment Initiative. Saudi airspace has mostly stayed open during the war, while other regional hubs were disrupted for weeks. That may boost Riyadh’s role in regional travel, said Carter. “Dubai has been viewed as a safe haven, and I think this conflict changed that, and now Riyadh is seen as the regional safe haven,” he said.