Maha Kumbh: IndiGo reduces airfares for Prayagraj, increases flights number

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IndiGo on Thursday said airfares have stabilised for the Prayagraj flights and that the airline has significantly increased the number of flights on the route to 900 for the Maha Kumbh.

There have been persistent concerns about soaring airfares on the flights to Prayagraj in the wake of rising passenger demand and the government has asked airlines to maintain air ticket prices as well as operate more flights on the route. Maha Kumbh, which commenced on January 13, will conclude on February 26.

Besides the additional capacity that has already been activated, IndiGo said it is working on reallocating capacity from other parts of its network to add more flights, to cater to the influx of passengers.

"The airline has also ensured to stabilise airfares and is committed to providing the best possible travel experience to all its customers," it said in a release.

On Wednesday, sources said IndiGo has reduced the fares for Prayagraj flights in the range of 30-50 per cent. 

According to the carrier, it has further increased number of flights and seat capacity significantly to/from Prayagraj airport during the Maha Kumbh period.

"For this special period, the airline will now operate more than 1,65,000 seats to/from Prayagraj, that is more than double its normal capacity to the airport.

"During this period, IndiGo will connect Prayagraj to 10 locations in India, adding connectivity from Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Jaipur, over and above existing connectivity from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Raipur and Bhubaneswar," the release said.

Further, IndiGo said it has increased capacity deployed on existing routes to/from Prayagraj through addition of frequency and operations of larger aircraft A321.

"Overall, the airline will operate around 900 flights to/from the city, up from 490 regular services," it added.

Amid exorbitant airfares being charged for Prayagraj flights, the civil aviation ministry, on Wednesday, asked airlines to maintain reasonable ticket prices. Also, Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi had urged aviation watchdog DGCA to take steps to reduce the prices.