The Prayagraj Airport, which witnessed a significant expansion ahead of the Maha Kumbh to accommodate direct flights to multiple cities, is now facing a drastic reduction in air traffic. Despite the inauguration of a new terminal at a cost of `231 crore, the facility has been largely idle since the conclusion of the grand religious event.
The new terminal has remained closed for the past month, and no flights have operated since February 28.
During the Maha Kumbh, the airport handled a record 5,85,587 passengers, with airlines operating direct flights to nearly 25 cities across the country. On the first day of extended flight services, January 11, 2,991 passengers took flights from Prayagraj. This number peaked at over 27,000 daily passengers during the peak of the event, with February 28 recording 10,395 travelers.
Both the old and new terminals were operational 24/7 to accommodate the increased demand. However, post —Maha Kumbh, the number of passengers and flights has plummeted.
Several flight routes from Prayagraj have been discontinued one by one. The Prayagraj — Lucknow route was permanently suspended recently, and there is speculation that the Hyderabad service may be next.
IndiGo has also reduced the frequency of its flights to Mumbai and Bengaluru. At present, only 12 to 14 flights operate daily from the airport.
Raising this concern in the Lok Sabha on Friday, BJP MP from Phulpur and chairman of the Prayagraj Airport Advisory Committee, Praveen Patel, highlighted the sharp drop in flight operations. He emphasised that while the airport was expanded before the Maha Kumbh and passenger facilities were enhanced, flight operations declined drastically after the event.
"Despite the conclusion of the Maha Kumbh, lakhs of pilgrims continue to visit Sangam for holy dips daily. However, airline companies have arbitrarily discontinued several flights," Patel said. He pointed out that routes to high — traffic destinations like Pune, Kolkata, and Dehradun were shut down despite good passenger demand. Currently, only five to six flights remain operational.
Patel urged the Union Minister of Civil Aviation to intervene and ensure the resumption of direct flights from Prayagraj to key destinations. He also called for the establishment of a cargo terminal at the airport to boost regional trade and connectivity.
Flights discontinued from Prayagraj Airport include: IndiGo: (Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Kolkata, Indore, Bhopal, Dehradun, Pune), Alliance Air: (Dehradun, Kolkata) and Jet Airways: (Nagpur, Indore, Patna and Lucknow)
“During the Maha Kumbh, SpiceJet, Air India, and Star Air also operated flights from Prayagraj, which ceased after February 28,” a senior official said.
Cities that had direct flights during Maha Kumbh are: Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Indore, Jammu, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Lucknow, Raipur, Bilaspur, Hyderabad, Dehradun, among others.
With flight connectivity dwindling post-Maha Kumbh, travelers and city officials are hopeful for swift government intervention to restore services and maximise the airport’s potential.
