Airlines are the first ones to raise the price of their tickets as soon as some important event comes up in any city and this time it is the much-awaited Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. Interestingly, an international trip to London can cost less than a holy dip during the Maha Kumbh.
The lack of proper regulation on soaring airfares has allowed airlines to hike ticket prices to as much as Rs 70,996 for a one-way ticket trip from Chennai to Prayagraj, making it more expensive than a one-way ticket to London which is Rs 31,342. The situation is similar in other major cities as well like Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru, where ticket prices to Prayagraj range from Rs 18,000 to Rs 41,106 on main holy bath days.
The price surge is most noticeable on important days such as Mauni Amavasya Snan (January 29), Basant Panchami (February 3), Maghi Purnima (February 12), and Mahashivratri (February 26). For example, a one-way trip from Delhi to Prayagraj on January 31 costs a whopping Rs 33,590, compared to the usual fare of around Rs 5,000.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) urged airlines to rationalise airfares to Prayagraj during the Maha Kumbh, in response to concerns over soaring ticket prices. To meet the growing demand, the DGCA approved 81 additional flights in January, bringing the total number of flights to Prayagraj to 132 nationwide.
Additionally, Raghav Chadha, a member of Rajya Sabha talked about how airlines are leaching money on the name of Maha Kumbh in a video posted on social media platform X (Formerly Twitter). “On normal days, when the cost of the flight tickets to Prayagraj was Rs 5000-8000. Today, the same flight is costing Rs 50,000-60,000, which means that the flight companies are getting exorbitant prices from the devotees. Lakhs of devotees, who wanted to go to Maha Kumbh, they are anguished because of this,” he said.
The prices of Air-Tickets to Prayagraj have soared to unusually high levels compared to ordinary days. On behalf of all the devotees who wish to undertake the pilgrimage to the Maha Kumbh, I urge the Union Government to intervene and stop airlines from charging exorbitant fees,… pic.twitter.com/x9A9zH8CcX
— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) January 28, 2025
He added, “On behalf of all the devotees who wish to undertake the pilgrimage to the Maha Kumbh, I urge the Union Government to intervene and stop airlines from charging exorbitant fees, taking advantage of the devotees. I request that flight prices be made more affordable for everyone attending the Maha Kumbh.”
