Mumbai, July 15 -- One out of every seven SpiceJet flights was delayed by more than two hours in May, as the budget carrier struggles with a thin fleet and a cash crunch.

SpiceJet's performance was the worst among India's large airlines, and also the worst performance for SpiceJet itself in five months, official data showed. For context, this was more than 20 times the delay rate reported by market leader IndiGo during the month.

Rising delays add to the challenges facing SpiceJet, whose market share fell to 3% in May, as it attempts to stabilize operations and restore passenger confidence amid continued scrutiny from regulators, lessors and customers. With rival airlines maintaining delay rates below 2% in May, the widening gap undersc...