Akasa Air, India’s newest budget airline, has launched a new route from Mumbai to Prayagraj, promising to open up a world of convenience and accessibility for tourists, pilgrims, and locals alike. This new addition marks a significant expansion for the airline, catering to the rising demand for air travel in one of India’s most culturally rich destinations and ahead of the Maha Kumbh next year. Akasa Air will launch flights to Prayagraj starting May 25, 2024. This will be the 22nd destination for the airline which comprises 21 domestic destinations and one international (Doha). The flights will operate daily as per below timings
QP1546 BOM1035 – 1300IXD
QP1547 IXD1340 – 1600BOM
This will be the fourth destination in the state of Uttar Pradesh for the airline, where it already operates to Lucknow, Varanasi and Ayodhya.
Competition
Currently, IndiGo is the largest player at Prayagraj, with miniscule presence of Alliance Air. Akasa Air will break the IndiGo monopoly on Mumbai – Prayagraj sector. Prayagraj has been clocking decent footfalls and has a footfall of 1600 per day, which is more than double of pre-COVID times. IndiGo launched flights to Prayagraj (then Allahabad) in November 2018. It was the 60th destination for IndiGo. SpiceJet – a historic carrier at Allahabad vacated the airport as it underwent financial stress.
Why Prayagraj?
Prayagraj, formerly known as Allahabad, holds an esteemed place in India’s cultural and historical landscape. It is famed for being the meeting point of three rivers: Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati, making it a pivotal site for the Hindu Kumbh Mela, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world. The city is not just a spiritual magnet; it boasts a rich tapestry of history, architecture, and education, making it a fascinating destination for all kinds of travellers.
With the Maha Kumbh slated next year and traffic expected to be at its peak, this is the right time to enter the market and subsequently help add temporary flights during the Maha Kumbh. During the last Maha Kumbh, SpiceJet had added as many as seven daily flights to Allahabad from Delhi.
This new connection is set to boost tourism significantly, providing a direct link for domestic and international tourists wanting to explore Prayagraj. The ease of travel is expected to increase visitor numbers during major festivals and throughout the year, contributing to the local economy and making the city more accessible to a broader audience.
The airline could carry its 10th millionth passenger this May.
Network Thoughts
The airline holds slots at Prayagraj for flights from Delhi as per the data released by the regulator on its website. However, this flight – prima facie, looks like a replacement of Mumbai – Kolkata – Mumbai.
This helps the airline reduce Category 1 route under Route Dispersal Guideline (RDG) and a route which is long and competitive, while replacing it with a route which becomes a duopoly and has a positive impact on deployment of capacity under RDG. How IndiGo will respond is anybody’s guess. Will there be a third daily on this route or will there be a price war?
While IndiGo is impacted by the PW engine issues, Akasa Air’s fleet plan has evolved over a period of time with no deliveries in recent past. Its ability to expand rapidly and take on both IndiGo and Air India Express, rests on the ability of Boeing to deliver the planes at a fast pace.
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NetworkThoughts 
thank you for highlighting that this route comes at the cost of bom-ccu-bom sector of akasa. Nobody talks of route suspensions or route replacements giving an illusion that there is continuous capacity expansion in Indian aviation. I guess half of the route launches are replacing other routes.
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