Air India and Air India Express, in response to the surging demand for Maha Kumbh Mela, have announced expanded flights to Prayagraj, and Varanasi. This will improve connectivity for pilgrims and travelers attending the world’s largest spiritual gathering.
Air India will begin a second daily service from Delhi to Prayagraj on February 1, 2025. This service will run until February 28, 2025. The airline also launched daily flights from Mumbai to Prayagraj on January 28, 2020, which will continue until February 28, 2020. Air India will now operate 21 weekly flights from Delhi to Prayagraj. This will ensure seamless connections to both domestic and international destinations.
Air India Express has also expanded its network to Varanasi – a key gateway for Maha Kumbh. The airline will begin daily direct flights between Delhi, India and Varanasi on February 5, 2025. Flights on the Bengaluru to Varanasi route will be increased from three to four flights per day. In February and March, there will also be 30 additional flights between Hyderabad and Varanasi to accommodate an increase in demand.
Ankur Garg highlighted the importance Varanasi plays in Air India Express’ network. “Varanasi as a revered culture hub and gateway to Maha Kumbh is central to the airline’s expansion plans.” With these new additions, Air India Express now operates 48 weekly flights out of Varanasi. These flights offer direct connectivity from Varanasi to Bengaluru as well as to Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai.
The Kumbh Mela has caused a surge in airfares for flights to Prayagraj. The civil aviation ministry has asked airlines to rationalise ticket prices. On Wednesday, Ram Mohan Naidu and other officials, including Secretary V Vualnam, DGCA Director General Faiz A Kidwai and senior officials, met with airline representatives about Prayagraj Flights.
IndiGo has increased the number and capacity of flights to/from Prayagraj by a significant amount during MahaKumbh. IndiGo planned to increase capacity initially, but the unprecedented demand of air travel along the Prayagraj Route has led them to add more flights recently. For this special period the airline will operate more than 165,000 flights to/from Prayagraj. This is more than twice its normal capacity.
IndiGo will provide connectivity between Prayagraj and 10 locations in India during this period. This includes Ahmedabad, Kolkata, and Jaipur. These connections will be added to the existing connectivity of Delhi, Mumbai Bengaluru Hyderabad Lucknow Raipur Bhubaneswar.
The airline has also increased its capacity on existing routes from/to Prayagraj by adding frequency and operating A321, a larger aircraft. The airline will offer 900 regular flights to/from the Prayagraj city, up from the 490 that were previously offered.
