Relief short lived, Maha Kumbh airfares soar again as demand spikes

Mahakumbh Mela 2025

The relief to devotees participating in the Maha Kumbh Mela in terms of airfare reduction is seeming to wane as flight tickets have begun rising again.

The average price of a one-way ticket to Prayagraj from top source markets like Mumbai, Hyderabad and New Delhi is Rs 17,650, Rs 18,580 and Rs 16,730, respectively for tickets booked 15 days in advance during the week of February 10 to 14, according to data from travel platform Cleartrip. Average fares for flights from other destinations stand at Rs 20,400 for Bengaluru, Rs 18,970 for Ahmedabad, Rs 10,990 for Kolkata, Rs 20,480 for Chennai and Rs 21,020 for Bhubaneswar.

Moneycontrol last week reported that airfares to Prayagraj from Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi came to about Rs 16,729, Rs 12,751, and Rs 12,616, respectively, when booked 15 days in advance. If booked seven days before travel, the fares stood at Rs 22,319, Rs 19,659, and Rs 13,569, respectively, last week.

On the other hand, recent data showed that average one-way ticket prices to Prayagraj from some source markets were now cheaper when booked seven days in advance, and costlier in some other cases. Fares to Prayagraj from Mumbai, New Delhi and Kolkata were around Rs 17,400, Rs 14,860, Rs 14,340 respectively for tickets booked seven days in advance in the current week.

Other cities stood as follows: Bengaluru at Rs 21,390, Hyderabad at Rs 17,020, Ahmedabad at Rs 21,840, Chandigarh at Rs 9,210, Guwahati at Rs 11,290, Jaipur at Rs 12,980, Chennai at Rs 17,290.

Cleartrip data also showed that spot tickets for travelling to Prayagraj in the said week (February 10 to 14) from Mumbai were at Rs 17,720, New Delhi at Rs 14,270, Bengaluru at Rs 17,610, Hyderabad at Rs 18,920 and Chennai at Rs 19,430.

Flights to Prayagraj from Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Indore and Jaipur cost at Rs 11,240, Rs 14,640, Rs 13,970, Rs 13,560, respectively, at spot rates.

Moneycontrol on February 3 had reported that airfares to Prayagraj remained around 98-210 percent higher in the first week of February compared to the same period last year. And despite the cost, demand doesn't seem to be coming down.

Last week, the overall flight booking demand was 1.86 times higher than the beginning of Maha Kumbh Mela 2025. Markets like Mumbai, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Jaipur reported 1.83 times, 0.70 time, 3.21 times, 2.07 times, 5.10 times and 1.25 times, respectively, higher booking.

Mumbai constituted 29.6 percent of the total flight booking demand to Prayagraj, New Delhi 16 percent, Bengaluru 13.6 percent, Hyderabad 9.4 percent, Kolkata 7.2 percent, Ahmedabad 3.4 percent, Chennai 3.4 percent, Guwahati 2.5 percent, Pune 2.5 percent and Jaipur at 2.4 percent.

Travel demand to be a part of Maha Kumbh remains high across flights, trains and buses.

Chaos had erupted at New Delhi Railway Station after confusion around the platform number of three trains—two delayed and one special train—coupled with alleged mismanagement and overcrowding, causing a deadly stampede that claimed the lives of 18 passengers on February 15.

Similarly, last week at Madhubani Railway Station in Bihar, frustrated devotees heading to Prayagraj for the mela had vandalised the AC coaches of the Swatantrata Senani Express after being unable to board the already packed train.

In addition, at least 30 pilgrims had died and 60 were injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela on January 29, when a large number of pilgrims reached the sacred Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj to take a holy dip on Mauni Amavasya.

Despite the conclusion of key bathing festivals, including Amrit Snan and Maghi Purnima, the surge of pilgrims at themela shows no sign of abating and an estimated 1.36 crore devotees had taken a holy dip at the Sangam by 6 pm on February 16.

The Maha Kumbh Mela is a religious festival that is touted to be the largest gathering of people in the world.

According to figures released by the mela administration, the total number of pilgrims who have taken a dip at the Sangam since January 13, when the Maha Kumbh Mela started, has gone past 52.83 crore.