Crisis-hit SpiceJet Ltd is struggling to operate its scheduled flights, with cancellations mounting and passengers increasingly bearing the brunt of the airline’s deepening operational crisis.
Sources say the airline is cancelling at least 25–30 flights every day, often at the last minute. In several videos shared online, passengers have been made to wait for three to five hours before being informed that their flights have been cancelled.
SpiceJet’s fleet has shrunk to 12 aircraft, of which 3 wet-leased aircraft are grounded due to non-payment, sources say. The scale of the disruption is raising serious questions about whether SpiceJet has the operational capacity to deliver the schedule it is selling to passengers.
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The DGCA-approved winter schedule lists between 69 and 80 daily airport movements for the airline, including arrivals and departures. But operational data accessed by CNBC-TV18 shows that SpiceJet operated 38 flights on November 5, 31 on November 6, 35 on November 7, 38 on November 8 and just 26 on November 9.
A shrinking airline, mounting financial stress
SpiceJet’s operational problems come against the backdrop of a sharp erosion in its market position. Its market share fell to just 0.6% in September 2026, according to DGCA data. The airline carried around 73,000 passengers that month, compared with 5.92 lakh in January.
Its on-time performance was a dismal 16.6% in September, while more than 20% of its flights were cancelled.
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The airline’s financial position is also under scrutiny. SpiceJet has not disclosed its FY26 results or its results for the first two quarters of FY27. Sources say employee salaries have remained unpaid since June. They also allege that statutory dues, including provident fund contributions, TDS and GST, have been pending for at least a year.
Payment difficulties are reportedly extending across the airline’s ecosystem. Sources say SpiceJet is struggling to clear dues to aircraft lessors, oil companies, airport operators and ground-handling agencies, and is operating on a cash-and-carry basis.
Passengers left with uncertainty
What makes the situation particularly concerning is that SpiceJet continues to accept bookings months in advance, even as its ability to operate its existing schedule comes under question.
Passengers who see SpiceJet flights on their booking portals have little insight into the airline’s operational strength and continue to book the tickets without factoring in delays, last-minute cancellations and the uncertainty of securing refunds or alternative travel arrangements.
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The immediate question is whether SpiceJet’s forward bookings, available fleet, operational capacity and passenger-refund arrangements are being adequately monitored to ensure passengers are protected from last-minute shocks to their travel plans.
On Monday (November 9), shares of SpiceJet Ltd ended at ₹7.68, down by ₹0.050, or 0.65%, on the BSE.