India's SpiceJet flies empty in Dubai in 2nd disruption this month

BENGALURU, Aug 29 (Reuters): India's SpiceJet had to operate empty flights from Dubai as passengers were not allowed to check in due to the airline's unpaid airport dues, The Hindu daily reported on Thursday, marking at least the second such disruption this month.

This is the latest in a long list of troubles for SpiceJet, which has struggled to fully restore operations despite multiple fundraises over the last year.

A SpiceJet spokesperson said the cancellations were "due to operational issues" and affected passengers were accommodated on subsequent SpiceJet flights, on other airlines or provided with a full refund.

All scheduled flights from Dubai were now operating as planned, according to the spokesperson.

Dubai Airports declined a Reuters request for comment.

Some of SpiceJet's lessors took it to court to settle unpaid dues and also requested that India's aviation regulator de-register their planes. This led to the airline's planes being grounded, and has weighed on its results including in the first quarter.

Indian news agency PTI on Aug. 2 reported that some SpiceJet flights in Dubai had been cancelled due to non-payment of dues, with the company citing "operational reasons" for the cancellations.

A senior official at India's Ministry of Civil Aviation told The Hindu that they were "monitoring SpiceJet."