Delhi High Court Upholds Order To Ground Three Of SpiceJet’s Leased Engines

In another blow for low-cost airline SpiceJet, the Delhi High Court's division bench has declined to quash a single judge's order that grounded three engines leased to the airline by two France-based lessors.

The ruling was delivered by a bench of Justices Rajiv Shakdher and Amit Bansal on Wednesday.

The legal dispute stems from the non-payment of dues owed to the lessors, Team France 01 SAS and Sunbird France 02 SAS, who had leased the engines to SpiceJet.

According to the court filings, the French companies claim that SpiceJet Ltd. has outstanding unpaid dues exceeding $20 million, accumulated over more than two years. The lessors filed the case against the airline in December, demanding payment and repossession of the leased engines.

While delivering the judgement on Tuesday, the court suggested that SpiceJet consider settling the matter with the lessors. However, it made it clear that it was not inclined to interfere with the single judge's earlier order to ground the engines.

Despite the court's ruling, SpiceJet has assured the public that its operations will remain unaffected. In a media statement, the airline emphasised, "SpiceJet assures that our operations remain unaffected and will continue as usual."

A detailed copy of the judgment is yet to be uploaded on the Delhi High Court website.