Flight prices to Prayagraj has come as a shocker for devotees from Odisha who were planning to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela

Newdelhi/Bhubaneswar: 27/1/25:The sudden rise in flight prices to Prayagraj has come as a shocker for devotees from Odisha who were planning to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela. The air ticket prices reached an unprecedented Rs 41,341 on Monday, forcing the devotees to miss out on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela being held after 144 years. With the huge rush of devotees, taking flight has become highly expensive as flyers are made to shell out almost 7 times the normal fares.

While the normal fares are around Rs 6000 to 7000, the flight ticket fare stands at Rs 41,341 for today i.e. January 27. Likewise, the ticket prices are Rs 25,376 for January 28, Rs 21, 176 for January 29, Rs 34, 280 for January 30 and Rs 25,205 for January 31. On the other hand, train commuters are also facing the problem of a long waiting list. While the flight farers have pinched a hole in the pockets of devotees, the waiting list on trains is making everyone jittery.

The flight tickets are expected to spike further on the second Shahi Snan (Mauni Amavasya). The Second Shahi Snan commemorates the event when one of the first sages, Rishabh Dev, broke his protracted vow of silence and immersed himself in the waters of the Sangam, drawing the largest congregation of pilgrims to the Kumbh Mela.

Not just Bhubaneswar to Prayagraj, travel portals show Chennai-Prayagraj return tickets for January 28 & back two days later are costing upwards of Rs 53,000. A return trip from nearby Kolkata on these dates costs over Rs 35,500; from Hyderabad/Mumbai/Delhi is over Rs 47,500 and from Bengaluru is Rs 51,000 plus.

A similar surge is seen around the three remaining important snan dates — February 3 (Basant Panchmi); February 12 (Maghi Purnima) and February 26 (Maha Shivratri & concluding day of the Maha Kumbh). Return fares to Prayagraj for February 14 and return two days later cost upwards of Rs 33,000 from Delhi; over Rs 40,000 from Hyderabad/Chennai/Kolkata and over Rs 45,000 from Mumbai/Bengaluru.

Taking stock of the situation, Union Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam has called for an urgent meeting with airlines. The government is likely to seek a break-up from airlines on how many tickets have been sold at what price brackets.

Most Prayagraj flights are sold out and the remaining last few seats are going for the highest bracket. To meet increased demand, DGCA had approved 81 additional flights in January raising Prayagraj connectivity to 132 flights from across India. But the demand is such that it far outstripped the supply.