Indian Budget Airline SpiceJet Banned from Bangladesh Airspace

Bangladesh has imposed a ban on the popular Indian budget airline SpiceJet from using its airspace. According to reports from the Indian news agency PTI, the decision came after the airline failed to settle outstanding fees owed to Bangladesh.

The ban has caused major operational challenges for the airline. Flights from Kolkata to Northeast Indian cities such as Guwahati and Imphal now have to take longer detours to avoid Bangladeshi airspace, resulting in increased flight times and costs.

SpiceJet reportedly owes a substantial amount for using Bangladesh’s airspace. Despite repeated reminders, the airline did not clear its dues. Consequently, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh has blocked SpiceJet from operating through its airspace.

Flight tracking platform Flightradar24 shows that, since Thursday, SpiceJet flights have been rerouted around Bangladesh, taking significantly longer paths to reach their destinations.

SpiceJet’s management has issued a statement acknowledging ongoing discussions with authorities. They described the situation as a routine business matter and emphasized that all flight operations remain fully functional, with no cancellations. The airline is working to resolve the outstanding payment constructively and aims to expand its capacity to over 300 daily flights by 2026.

SpiceJet Chief Business Officer Debajyoti Maharshi said, “We have recently doubled our capacity, reflecting our growing confidence in the business. We remain committed to improving service and maintaining reliability for our passengers.”

Following the news, SpiceJet’s shares fell about 1% on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), closing at ₹16.81. Notably, in the last quarter of December, the airline reported a loss of ₹269.27 crore.