Mahakumbh 2025: AAP's Raghav Chadha flags soaring flight prices to Prayagraj; urges Centre to ‘stop airlines…’

Flagging exorbitant airfares to Prayagraj, Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha on Tuesday urged the Centre to intervene and cap flight prices to ensure fair treatment for devotees during ongoing Mahakumbh 2025.

Mahakumbh attracts millions of devotees from around the world, but devotees are facing charges of ₹50,000 to ₹60,000 for flights to Prayagraj, a phenominal increase from ₹5,000 to ₹8,000 charged on the same rote, said the parliamentarian in a post on X.

Emphasising that Mahakumbh is the largest spiritual and faith event for Sanathan Dharma, Chadha wrote that “this grand Mahakumbh is being celebrated in Prayagraj, attracting millions of devotees from around the world who wish to take a holy dip and engage in 'sadhana' and 'tapasya.'”

“It is disheartening to see some airlines exploiting this occasion by significantly hiking flight fares. While the usual flight ticket to Prayagraj costs around Rs5,000 to Rs8,000, devotees are now facing charges of Rs50,000 to Rs60,000. This profiteering has left many devotees disheartened. Such actions by airlines are unacceptable, and I urge the government to intervene and cap flight prices to ensure fair treatment for devotees,” he said in his post on X.

Earlier, Raghav Chadha had raised concerns about overpriced food at airport canteens, which led to the introduction of affordable options for passengers.

DGCA directs airlines to rationalise fares for flights to Prayagraj

As several people raised concerns about exorbitant fares for flights to Prayagraj, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has instructed airlines to increase capacity and rationalise fares for flights to Prayagraj during the ongoing Mahakumbh on Monday.

In a meeting held with airlines, DGCA adressed the issue and asked them to add more flights and rationalise fares. After the meeting, the total number of additional flights to Prayagraj has been increased to 132 from across India.

"In view of likely surge in demand, DGCA met airlines on January 23 and urged them to increase further capacity by adding flights and rationalising fares," DGCA said.

SpiceJet introduced new direct flights from Guwahati, Chennai and Hyderabad, to Prayagraj as a part of expanding its services during Mahakumbh 2025. Similarly, Akasa Air increased its connectivity to Prayagraj and started running special flights from Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru via Delhi, in addition to its daily direct services from Mumbai.