Prayagraj to get another direct flight for Mumbai from May 14

Prayagraj: Enhancing the air connectivity of the Sangam city, private airline operator Akasa Air will launch a third direct flight from the city to Mumbai, beginning May 14. This will be the second flight operated by Akasa on this route, whereas Indigo already operates a flight between Mumbai and Prayagraj.

According to the schedule released by Akasa Air, the new flight will depart from Mumbai at 12:50pm and arrive in Prayagraj by 3:10pm and on its return journey, the flight will take off from Prayagraj daily at 3:45pm and land in Mumbai at 6:05pm.

This will be the third direct flight connecting Prayagraj to Mumbai. Currently, two flights—operated by Akasa Air and Indigo—operate on this busy route. Akasa's existing service departs from Mumbai at 11:30am and lands in Prayagraj at 1:50pm. On the return leg, this flight leaves Prayagraj at 2:30pm and arrives in Mumbai by 4:40pm. Meanwhile, Indigo's flight departs Prayagraj at 2:45pm and reaches Mumbai by 4:50pm. From Mumbai, it departs at 11:50am.

Akasa Air has released the operational schedule of the new flight up to May 31, 2025. The airline is expected to announce its extended schedule by the last week of May. With three direct flights now available, the Prayagraj-Mumbai air corridor is poised to become one of the busiest regional routes in the state.

Simultaneously, Indian Railways has also announced a significant upgrade to the Agra-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express via Prayagraj, doubling its passenger capacity. The train, which presently has eight coaches, including seven chair car coaches and one executive class coach, will soon be upgraded to a 16-coach train. There are also indications that the train's point of origin may shift from Agra Cantt to Agra Eidgah station in the near future, as plans are being drawn up for another Vande Bharat service between Agra and Ayodhya Dham.

Although the North Eastern Railway officials have not received any formal letter regarding the decision to extend the coaches in this semi-high-speed train, sources inform that the railways have decided to increase the number of coaches in response to heavy daily passenger traffic between Agra and Varanasi. With this upgrade, the seating capacity of the train will double, meeting the growing demand from travellers in the region.