NEW DELHI: Centre has directed airlines to add flights to Prayagraj in the wake of some round-trip fares surging to over Rs 50,000 around Maha Kumbh‘s important snan dates – Jan 29 and Feb 3, 4, 12 and 26. The directive from DGCA followed a TOI report Monday on skyrocketing fares to Prayagraj around these dates. Accordingly, it advised airlines to “ensure sufficient capacity to accommodate passengers”.
Soon after, aviation ministry said in a statement Monday that Akasa would operate flights to Prayagraj on Jan 28 and 29 from Ahmedabad. “Next month, the airline plans to operate nine flights from Ahmedabad and 12 from Bangalore to Prayagraj, adding about 4,000 seats. SpiceJet is set to launch flights to Prayagraj from Delhi, Chennai, Guwahati, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Jaipur and Hyderabad, adding about 43,000 seats in Feb,” the statement says.
UP govt says over 13 crore people have taken the dip during Maha Kumbh that started on Jan 13. Given the sheer numbers, airfares have surged not just to Prajaygaj but also to nearby airports like Varanasi.
Travel portals show Chennai-Prayagraj return tickets for Jan 28 and back two days later are costing above Rs 53,000. A return trip from Kolkata on these dates is costing over Rs 35,500; from Hyderabad/Mumbai/Delhi it’s over Rs 47,500 and from Bengaluru it’s Rs 51,000 plus.
There’s a similar rise around the three remaining important snan dates – Feb 3 (Basant Panchmi), Feb 12 (Maghi Purnima), and Feb 26 (Maha Shivratri and concluding day of Maha Kumbh).
Announcing extra flights Monday, the ministry said the additions are expected to “ease pressure on fares and improve overall accessibility for devotees and tourists”.
Centre further explained how Maha Kumbh had proved transformative for Prayagraj as an aviation hub. “To facilitate the sacred journey, 81 additional flights were introduced in Jan 2025. Currently, 132 flights operate with about 80,000 monthly seats to Prayagraj from across India. Prayagraj as of now is connected directly with 17 cities across India as against eight cities last month,” the statement said.
