The Consumer Affairs Ministry has urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to take action to reduce the airfare amid concerns over skyrocketing ticket prices during the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, the largest religious gathering in the world.
The mega congregation, which began on Jan. 13, is estimated to have drawn about 20 crore devotees. It is expected to draw a total of 45 crore devotees by its conclusion on Feb. 26.
"Mahakumbh is witnessing a huge influx of devotees on a daily basis," Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, posted on X. "The prices of airfares being exorbitantly high have made it difficult for people to make travel plans to attend Mahakumbh. Keeping consumers interest in mind, we have written to DGCA India to take steps to reduce the fares."
#Mahakumbh is witnessing huge influx of devotees on a daily basis. The prices of #airfares being exorbitantly high has made it difficult for people to make travel plans to attend Mahakumbh. Keeping consumers interest in mind, we have written to @DGCAIndia to take steps to reduce…
January 29, 2025The average fare for a one-way ticket between January 28 and February 4, 2025, has surged 4-5 times due to high demand, not just for Prayagraj but other nearby airports too, like Varanasi and Lucknow.
AdvertisementA one-trip ticket from major cities, including Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Mumbai, as well as smaller ones such as Jaipur and Bhopal, to Prayagraj is currently priced between Rs 19,000 and Rs 40,000 as against the usual fare of around Rs 4,000-8,000. Travel portals like MakeMyTrip and ixigo show Chennai-Prayagraj return tickets for February 26, which coincides with Maha Shivratri, costing upwards of Rs 41,000. Similarly, the same-day return ticket for flights connecting Kolkata, Lucknow, and Jaipur to Prayagraj is costing over Rs 31,000, and the same for Hyderabad was starting at Rs 49,000.
Earlier, both the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Directorate General of Civil Aviation held high-level meetings with major airlines, including IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet and Akasa Air, operating to Prayagraj, and directed them to “rationalise” airfares. The airlines were also asked to add more capacity, especially during the forthcoming 'snan' days—Jan. 29 and Feb. 3, 4, 12, and 26—to accommodate more passengers. In fact, the government approved 81 additional flights for the Prayagraj route in January, bringing the total count to 132 with a capacity of 80,000 monthly seats.
AdvertisementDespite that, the airfares remain 3-10 times the regular prices, according to LocalCircles, a citizen engagement organisation that surveyed 15,000 people who have booked or attempted to book travel to Prayagraj or nearby airports over the last week. "Notwithstanding the claims of DGCA and civil aviation minister that enough flights have been arranged, and more are being arranged to tackle the surge in traffic to Prayagraj during Maha Kumbh Mela, the occasion is being misused by airlines, according to consumers, to profiteer," said LocalCircles founder Sachin Taparia. "While profits are desirable for airlines to remain in good health, this kind of profiteering has no justification."
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