Prayagraj-Hyderabad direct flight to start on Sept 28

Prayagraj: As part of Maha Kumbh preparations, for the first time, a direct flight from Prayagraj to Hyderabad will start operations on Sept 28. This flight would initially operate thrice a week. IndiGo has made arrangements to unveil its itinerary this month. Presently, those travelling to Hyderabad from Prayagraj either have to go to Varanasi or Lucknow, as these cities have a direct flight to Hyderabad. This flight, proposed to commence on Sept 28, will operate thrice a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The same flight will be operating from Prayagraj to Bengaluru for the remaining four days of the week. It will take off from Prayagraj at 11:20 am, covering the distance in 2 hours and 10 minutes. The flight would land at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad at 1:30 pm. The return flight will depart from Hyderabad at 8:40 am and arrive at Prayagraj at 10:55 am. IndiGo will deploy an Airbus class aircraft for the Hyderabad route, which has a capacity of 180 seats. Ahead of Maha Kumbh, preparations are underway to establish air connectivity between Prayagraj and numerous cities, including Indore. Prayagraj airport director Farrukh Ahsan also corroborated that arrangements are being made to inaugurate air service for multiple cities, including Indore. Initially, the Prayagraj-Raipur air service will commence from Aug 16. Akasa Air will start air service from Sangam city to New Delhi and Bengaluru. A flight to Mumbai is already operational. There are plans to recommence air service for Kolkata as well. The director stated that the framework is being devised for expansion of air service at the airport. Prior to the Maha Kumbh, the central govt has given green light for aircraft to take off and land at Prayagraj even during night hours. With the provision of night flight and landing facilities, Prayagraj will be connected to numerous cities across the nation. Aviation companies are eagerly anticipating the commencement of air service from various cities to Prayagraj. It is worth mentioning that before the Maha Kumbh, direct flight service is likely to be initiated from Prayagraj to cities such as Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Guwahati, Kolkata, Chennai, Nagpur, Goa, and more. Meanwhile, Phulpur MP Praveen Patel has raised the issue of initiating international flights from Prayagraj Airport before the Maha Kumbh fair in the Lok Sabha. He emphasised that during the Maha Kumbh, a substantial number of individuals from both within country and abroad will come here. In such a scenario, it is imperative to initiate this service for the convenience of those arriving from foreign nations. Prayagraj has direct air connectivity only with Delhi, Mumbai, Bilaspur, Bhubaneswar, Lucknow, Dehradun, Bangalore, and Bhopal.