The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has instructed airlines to increase capacity and adjust fares for flights to Prayagraj during the ongoing Mahakumbh. This decision follows numerous complaints from air travelers about excessively high flight fares, with prices from Delhi to Prayagraj reaching Rs 25,000, a sharp rise from the usual Rs 5,000. The DGCA held a meeting with airlines on January 23, urging them to add more flights and adjust fares. Consequently, 81 additional flights have been approved for January, bringing the total number of flights to Prayagraj to 132 from various parts of India.
Anticipating a potential rise in demand, the DGCA convened with airlines on January 23, urging them to boost capacity by adding more flights and adjusting fares, according to the DGCA. A source from a major airline indicated that fares had risen due to high demand and limited supply on certain routes, with dynamic pricing being implemented. On January 24, SpiceJet announced the introduction of special flights to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh, offering new direct flights from Guwahati, Chennai, and Hyderabad.
On January 25, Akasa Air increased its flights to Prayagraj, adding special routes from Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru through Delhi, along with its regular direct flights from Mumbai. However, there are ongoing concerns about unfair pricing. Vinod Bansal, the national spokesperson for Vishwa Hindu Parishad, accused the government and airlines of exploiting the high demand, labeling it as 'unfair and unethical.'
"Not only is the state government taking full care of the service, security and facilities of the devotees coming to the Maha Kumbh being held on the holy land of Prayagraj, many religious, social and service-oriented organizations and people are also engaged in service selflessly. But at the same time, some airline companies are taking unfair advantage of the increasing number of passengers, increasing the airfares wildly, and charging exorbitant fares, which is unfair and unethical. This is an occasion for hospitality, dedication and respectful hospitality and not for charging unfair fares," Vinod Bansal said on X.