New Delhi: Union Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam has called for an urgent meeting with airlines on Monday in the wake of Prayagraj airfare hike during the ongoing Maha Kumbh. TOI reported on Monday that airfares to Prayagraj have skyrocketed ahead of January 29 Mavasya Amavasya
snan
(Royal bathroom). Travel portals show return tickets from Chennai-Prayagraj for January 28 and two days later they are costing over Rs 53,000. A return trip from nearby Kolkata on these dates is costing more than Rs 35,500; From Hyderabad/Mumbai/Delhi it is over Rs 47,500 and from Bengaluru it is over Rs 51,000.
Govt is likely to seek a breakdown from airlines over how many tickets have been sold at which price brackets. “Most of the Prayagraj flights are sold out and the last remaining seats are going for the highest bracket. To meet the increased demand, DGCA had approved 81 additional flights in January raising Prayagraj connectivity to 132 flights from across India,” sources said.
But the demand is such that it far exceeded the supply. As a result, a similar increase in the one seen around the three remaining important
snan
Dates – February 3 (Basant Panchmi); February 12 (Maghi Purnima) and February 26 (Maha Shivratri and the final day of the Maha Kumbh). Return fares to Prayagraj during February 14 and return two days later are costing over Rs 33,000 from Delhi; Over Rs 40,000 from Hyderabad/Chennai/Kolkata and over Rs 45,000 from Mumbai/Bengaluru.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation met on January 23 and “urged them to increase additional capacity by adding flights and rationalize fares” in view of the Maha travel demand for the Maha Kumbh. But airlines’ algorithm-based pricing saw a surge in airfares as demand soared.