Dubai airport operator suspends SpiceJet check-in over ₹35.85 crore dues
What's the story
Dubai Airports, which operates Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport, has suspended check-in services for Indian airline SpiceJet due to non-payment of around 14 million UAE dirhams (approximately ₹35.85 crore). The suspension came into effect on November 12 after four flights to Amritsar, Jaipur, Mumbai and Delhi were canceled. An internal communication from the airline cited non-payment to ground-handling company dnata as the reason for these cancellations. The four flights would operate as ferry services without passengers.
Financial crisis
Limited check-in allowed for flights to Ahmedabad and Delhi
Dubai Airports allowed check-in for flights to Ahmedabad and Delhi before the suspension took effect on Thursday.
However, only two of these flights were permitted to depart.
The airline's station manager then directed its flight operations team to cancel all other departures from Dubai until the matter was resolved.
Payment dispute
Suspension reason cited in email to SpiceJet
Per HT, people aware of the matter said on November 12, Dubai Airports informed SpiceJet via email that it hadn't received any payments since October 13. It said the outstanding amount had reached AED 14 million.
The airport operator cited continued non-compliance with payment terms as the reason for suspending check-in services to avoid further financial exposure.
Airline troubles
Airline's operational challenges in recent months
SpiceJet has been facing financial and operational challenges for some time now. Its fleet has dwindled to around 12 aircraft, of which only nine are operational.
The airline's domestic market share also fell from 3.9% in January to a mere 0.6% in September.
In September alone, SpiceJet canceled 20.29% of its scheduled flights and had an on-time performance rate of just 16.6% at major airports.
Unpaid dues
SpiceJet committed to resolving issue
The airline has also struggled to pay off supplier dues, with ₹63.03 crore owed to small businesses remaining unpaid beyond the 45-day period during April-September 2026.
A SpiceJet spokesperson said the airline is working with concerned authorities to resolve the issue at the earliest.
"We have adequate bank guarantee cover in place and are working to ensure that the issue is sorted out at the earliest," they were quoted as saying by HT.