SpiceJet’s Dubai operations were disrupted after Dubai Airports suspended the airline’s check-in services over unpaid dues of about 14 million dirhams, or approximately Rs 35.8 crore, leading to the cancellation of four departures and the summoning of the airline’s Dubai station manager by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.
The check-in suspension took effect on November 12 after the airport operator said SpiceJet had failed to clear its outstanding payments. Dubai Airports had informed the airline on November 9 that its dues had risen to 14 million dirhams and warned that check-in services would be stopped if the full amount was not paid by November 12.
According to the report, the airport operator said SpiceJet had made no payment after October 13. Once the deadline passed without the dues being cleared, check-in services for the airline were suspended. The disruption directly affected passengers scheduled to travel from Dubai to Indian cities.
Two flights, SG-5115 to Ahmedabad and SG-5106 to Delhi, were allowed to operate because they were scheduled to depart before the check-in suspension came into force. Ground-handling company dnata was permitted to provide check-in services for those flights.
Following the suspension, SpiceJet’s Dubai station manager instructed the airline’s flight operations department to cancel all departures from Dubai. The airline issued instructions on November 12 to cancel four flights bound for Amritsar, Jaipur, Mumbai and Delhi. An internal email reportedly cited non-payment to dnata as the reason for the cancellations. The flights had been planned to operate as ferry services without passengers.
The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority summoned SpiceJet’s station manager over the disruption and also questioned the airline’s handling of passenger communication. The authority instructed SpiceJet to inform affected passengers about the cancellations and arrange alternative travel. The directions included providing hotel accommodation and transportation for stranded travellers.
The Dubai action comes as SpiceJet faces wider financial and operational pressure. The report said the airline was operating about 65 scheduled flights a day, while 15 to 20 flights were being cancelled daily. Several other flights were reportedly delayed by between three and five hours. The airline is also said to have outstanding payments to aircraft lessors, oil companies, airport operators and ground-handling agencies.
Payment difficulties have reportedly forced SpiceJet to make advance payments for some essential services, placing additional pressure on its daily operations. The airline’s operational fleet has fallen to about 12 aircraft, of which three were grounded because of payment-related issues. Sources also cited in the report said employees had not received salaries since June 2026.
SpiceJet reported a net loss of Rs 621 crore for the quarter ended September 2025, compared with a loss of Rs 458 crore in the same period a year earlier. Revenue fell 13.4% year-on-year to Rs 792 crore from Rs 915 crore, while the airline recorded an operating loss of Rs 297 crore. It incurred Rs 120 crore in costs related to grounded aircraft and Rs 30 crore to return them to service. The airline’s passenger load factor during the quarter was 84.3%.
The report also said SpiceJet had not publicly released its latest quarterly financial results after announcing its December-quarter results in February. The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority’s immediate instructions are for passenger notification, alternative travel arrangements, hotel accommodation and transport following the cancelled flights.
