Kolkata-Prayagraj flights costlier than those to Bangkok, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur
Times of India | 31 January 2025
12 Kolkata: It is cheaper to fly to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Abu Dhabi, and even Dubai than it is to Prayagraj. A day after the stampede, airfares remained sky-high with little to indicate a waning of enthusiasm in taking the holy dip at the Ganga-Yamuna confluence at Sangam.
Return fares from Kolkata to Prayagraj hovered between Rs 33,200 and Rs 45,400 over the next month, with all tickets sold out on at least five days in Feb. Spotting the opportunity, IndiGo is introducing a second daily flight from Feb 2. At present, IndiGo and Alliance Air have a daily connection.
"We haven't witnessed something this crazy over nearly 45 days. The flight time to Prayagraj is an hour and 30 minutes. But one-way fare to Prayagraj till almost the end of Feb is more expensive than a two-way fare to Hanoi in Vietnam, Colombo in Sri Lanka, or even Singapore and Bangkok if one flies IndiGo," said Travel Agents' Federation of India (TAFI) national committee member Anil Punjabi.
Exigencies like a train mishap that disrupt rail traffic on a sector do lead to a temporary spike in fare. But it usually lasts two to three days and not a month and a half like the present scenario with Prayagraj. Actually, return fares to most international destinations with direct flight connections, including Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai, are cheaper, pointed out Travel Agents' Association of India (TAAI) eastern region chairman Anjani Dhanuka.
While the return fare to Bangkok is Rs 20,000, those to Kuala Lumpur and Abu Dhabi are around Rs 25,000 each, and Singapore and Dubai are Rs 35,000 each. "Even if one is willing to pay this fare, ticket availability is an issue. Demand is huge. We thought the situation would perhaps change after the stampede. It hasn't yet, with seats continuing to be sold at these unbelievable rates," said Dhanuka.
Till Wednesday, the return fare to Prayagraj was even higher at around Rs 50,000. IndiGo reduced airfares by around 20% after the civil aviation ministry on Wednesday asked airlines to maintain reasonable prices. Consumer affairs minister Pralhad Joshi also remarked that airfares for Prayagraj flights are "exorbitantly high" and urged aviation watchdog DGCA to take steps to reduce the prices.