Dubai airport halts SpiceJet check-ins over ₹35.8 crore dues, four flights cancelled 

Operations at Dubai International Airport hit an immediate roadblock for SpiceJet on Thursday after the airport operator suspended check-in services over 14 million dirhams (about ₹35.8 crore) in unpaid dues. The freeze forced the cancellation of four flights to India and prompted the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority to summon the carrier's station manager over its failure to notify affected passengers.

The suspension took effect on November 12 after SpiceJet missed a final payment deadline. Dubai Airports had warned the airline on November 9 that its arrears had climbed to 14 million dirhams — with no payments made since October 13 — and that check-in counters would shut down if the balance was not cleared in full.

Only two flights, SG-5115 to Ahmedabad and SG-5106 to Delhi, escaped the shutdown because they were scheduled to depart prior to the enforcement window, with ground-handling agency dnata permitted to process passengers. Once the suspension kicked in, SpiceJet’s Dubai station manager instructed flight operations to cancel all remaining departures.

Four flights bound for Amritsar, Jaipur, Mumbai, and Delhi — which had been planned as ferry services without passengers — were grounded. According to an internal email accessed by Informist, non-payment to dnata triggered the cancellations.

Following the disruption, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority summoned the station manager and questioned the airline's handling of passenger communication. Regulators ordered SpiceJet to formally notify travellers of the cancellations, arrange alternative flights, and provide hotel accommodation and transport for stranded flyers.

The copy will be updated with SpiceJet's reaction when it is shared.

SpiceJet is operating roughly 65 scheduled flights a day while cancelling 15 to 20 daily, with several other services delayed by three to five hours.

Its operational fleet has dropped to about 12 aircraft — three of which are grounded over payment disputes — while employees have reportedly gone without salaries since June 2026.

Outstanding dues to aircraft lessors, fuel suppliers, airport operators, and ground handlers have forced the airline onto advance-payment terms for essential services.

SpiceJet has not released quarterly results since February, when it reported its December-quarter figures. In the quarter ended September 2025, the airline posted a net loss of Rs 621 crore — widening from Rs 458 crore a year earlier — as revenue dropped 13.4% year-on-year to Rs 792 crore. That quarter also saw an operating loss of Rs 297 crore, Rs 120 crore in grounded-aircraft costs, and Rs 30 crore spent returning planes to service, alongside an 84.3% passenger load factor.