SpiceJet will have to show that it has at least ₹200 crore in its accounts if it wants to be allowed to continue using airport facilities without having to pay each time its aircraft land and take off from December 31, senior Government officials said on Friday.

“Airports have extended a temporary reprieve to the airline which is facing financial difficulties. The temporary reprieve is for 15 days which will expire on December 31. The airline may then be asked to pay for service unless it can show that it has some funds in the bank,” the official said.

Meanwhile, the airline operations have started limping back to normalcy. Till 3 p.m. on Friday the airline operated 132 of the planned 200 flights for the day. A day earlier, the airline was able to operate 218 of the scheduled 230 departures, officials said.

In a statement, the airline said since Wednesday evening it had operated additional flights on several sectors including Port Blair and Goa.

The airline, which has debt of ₹1,600 crore on December 5, has been in talks with various investors for a bailout.

Investment plans Ajay Singh, one of the original promoters of SpiceJet, who later exited from the company, on Thursday met not only with senior airline officials but also with Union Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathy Raju.

There is speculation in the industry that Ajay Singh could be helping SpiceJet in its recovery plans.

While Ajay Singh has declined to talk about his plans, his close associates say that the airline is still a good business proposition.

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