Prayagraj Air Traffic Sees Unprecedented Footfall Of Passengers During The Maha Kumbh
With thousands flocking to Prayagraj for a sacred dip in the holy waters before the Maha Kumbh Mela concludes on February 26, the city’s airport is experiencing an extraordinary rise in air traffic. Typically accustomed to moderate passenger movement, Prayagraj Airport is now handling a surge unlike anything seen before.
According to a PTI report, the number of daily flights operating at Prayagraj Airport has skyrocketed to 70 from the usual 40, including non-scheduled chartered flights and private jets catering to the elite. This is in addition to the regular 148 scheduled commercial passenger flights, which is over seven times the number during non-Kumbh periods. The record-breaking passenger influx has continuously surpassed previous figures since the festival began.
On February 21, the airport saw its highest single-day passenger movement, with 236 flights transporting 24,512 travelers. Normally, the airport operates around 20 scheduled flights carrying fewer than a thousand passengers, an Airports Authority of India (AAI) official stated.
Prayagraj Airport Director Mukesh Chandra Upadhyay shared that during the 2019 Maha Kumbh, the airport handled fewer than one lakh passengers. However, in the ongoing 2025 edition, the footfall has already surpassed three lakhs and is expected to rise significantly as the festival draws to a close with the Mahashivratri holy dip on February 26.
PROMINENT VISITORS INCLUDE
Among the prominent visitors who have arrived for the sacred gathering are President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and various high-profile personalities, including industrialists, more than two dozen actors, and political leaders. Business magnates such as Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, Gautam Adani, Pawan Munjal, Anil Agarwal, and representatives from the Hinduja and TVS Groups have also made their way to Prayagraj, many via private jets.
Adding to the influx, a delegation of approximately 180 politicians from Rajasthan recently arrived via chartered flights for the Kumbh.
In a landmark event, Prayagraj Airport recently received its first international chartered flight in nearly a century. In January, Laurene Powell Jobs, American billionaire and widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, along with her associates, traveled from Bhutan to attend the Maha Kumbh. State officials confirmed that this was the first international flight since 1932 when an aircraft departed from Allahabad for London.
Since then, four more international flights have landed at Prayagraj Airport during the Maha Kumbh, with the latest expected on Monday, according to airport authorities.
The ongoing festival has not only set new records in air traffic but has also brought global attention to Prayagraj as a major religious and cultural hub. With more visitors expected in the final days, the airport is set to witness further milestones in passenger movement.
