Bangladesh has not banned Indian airline SpiceJet from its airspace, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) clarified, contradicting reports in Indian media that claimed the carrier faced restrictions.

Air Commodore Mukit-ul-Alam Mia, CAAB member for Flight Standards and Regulations, said SpiceJet last used Bangladesh airspace in March 2024 and has not requested overflight permission since then.

“We did not stop their overflight. They simply did not ask for permission after March,” he told reporters.

Indian news agency PTI reported Thursday that Bangladesh was preventing SpiceJet from entering its airspace due to outstanding payment issues, forcing the airline to take longer routes between Kolkata and Guwahati. Several Indian media outlets, including Anandabazar, published similar reports.

CAAB official confirmed SpiceJet owed approximately USD 30 lakh in navigation charges. Airline had entered a settlement agreement to pay USD 1 lakh monthly while continuing operations over Bangladesh territory. Company made regular payments until March 2024.

“They used our airspace until March last year and made payments. After that, they did not request overflight from us. They may have accumulated some debts”,  Mukit-ul-Alam Mia explained.

CAAB member expressed confusion over sudden media attention to a nearly year-old matter. “I cannot understand why Indian media suddenly became vocal about this almost one-year-old incident. However, we are opening our office even during Ramadan holidays to find out the latest status of their matter”, he said.

SpiceJet spokesperson told PTI the airline maintains regular discussions with relevant authorities regarding navigation charges and operational matters. “These are very common issues in aviation services. We are having constructive discussions for an early resolution”, the spokesperson told media.

Foreign airlines must pay prescribed navigation charges to use another country’s airspace. Bangladesh collects these fees from all international carriers flying over its territory.

SpiceJet operated scheduled flights to Dhaka until 2022 before suspending services for commercial reasons. Airline stopped requesting overflight permission voluntarily, not due to any ban imposed by Bangladesh authorities.