Maha Kumbh 2025 Ends, Now Prayagraj Airport Sees Dip In Passengers, Flights

Prayagraj: The Prayagraj airport, which was among the top 20 busiest airports in India during the Maha Kumbh, now wears a deserted look with a decrease in both flight operations and passenger turnout.

During Kumbh, Prayagraj airport recorded a total of 164 flight operations per day. Director of Prayagraj Airport Mukesh Chandra Upadhyay said a maximum of 82 flights departed to various cities in a day. Taking together the arrivals and departures, a maximum of 164 flight operations were registered at that period, Upadhyay said.

Air services to 12 cities namely Indore, Bhopal, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Dehradun, Jaipur, Guwahati, Kolkata, Chennai, Jammu, Ahmedabad and Chandigarh, that were available during the Kumbh, now remains suspended. Presently, flights from Prayagraj operate to only seven cities, namely Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Raipur and Bilaspur.

Aircraft to Lucknow have been temporarily stopped due to construction work there while on the initiative of Airport Authority of India, preparations are on to reinstate services to Indore. This apart, preparations are also on to resume services between Prayagraj and Kolkata following rising demand.

Thus, Prayagraj airport no longer witnesses the hustle bustle or the surging crowds that existed during the Maha Kumbh. With suspension of flight operations to 12 states, Prayagraj airport now lags behind Ayodhya and Gorakhpur airports.

According to the director of Prayagraj airport, it is not that there is no possibility of resuming services to other cities. "Compared to 12,000 people who used to travel during Maha Kumbh, now the passenger turnout has decreased to only 1500. The main reason behind the decrease in passengers is the dip in the number of flights," he said.

Upadhyay further said that this is the first time after the construction of Prayagraj airport that it did not get a single new flight in the summer schedule of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The Alliance Air's Delhi flight and Indigo's Lucknow flight have been stopped recently, he added.

Taking an account of April 2025, only 24,237 passengers travelled in 182 planes at the airport while over 50,000 passengers travelled to Gorakhpur and Ayodhya airports during this period. Last financial year, after Lucknow and Varanasi, the maximum movement of planes and passengers in the state was at Prayagraj airport.

The director said that keeping in view the convenience of the passengers coming to Prayagraj airport and the weather conditions, the four lanes outside the entrance are being covered with canopy to shield from the scorching sun and rain. No matter what the weather is, passengers would not face any inconvenience and can board flights on time, he added.

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