Dubai Airports suspended check-in services for SpiceJet flights at Dubai International Airport due to unpaid dues amounting to 14 million dirhams, equivalent to approximately Rs 35.8 crore. The operational halt significantly disrupted departures for the carrier from the airport.
The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority subsequently summoned SpiceJet's station manager because the airline failed to formally announce flight cancellations resulting from the suspension, according to internal email correspondence.
In a communication dated November 12, the airline's station manager informed flight operations that local aviation authorities had mandated alternative arrangements for affected passengers.
Earlier in the week, the airport operator had warned SpiceJet that total arrears had reached 14 million dirhams without any incoming remittances since October 13, cautioning that check-in operations would be halted unless the balance was settled.
Following the enforcement of the suspension, the airport permitted ground-handling partner dnata to process passengers for only two delayed departures: flight SG-5115 to Ahmedabad and flight SG-5106 to Delhi. Both services had been scheduled to leave prior to the restriction taking effect.
Check-in processing for all other SpiceJet departures remained blocked pending full settlement of the overdue amounts. The station manager instructed the operations team to cancel all remaining flights originating out of Dubai until the financial dispute was entirely resolved.
Consequently, the carrier issued cancellation notices for four services scheduled to depart Dubai for Amritsar, Jaipur, Mumbai, and Delhi. Internal messages explicitly cited non-payment to dnata as the underlying cause for the operational withdrawals.
Additional internal correspondence indicated that the four canceled passenger flights were later rescheduled to operate as ferry services under their original flight numbers. Meanwhile, the airline has delayed releasing quarterly financial statements since disclosing its December-quarter earnings in February, while its shares on the BSE recently closed higher at Rs 8.26.