PRAYAGRAJ, June 11 -- Aircraft operations and passenger traffic at Prayagraj Airport plummeted to a seven-year low in May 2026, excluding the pandemic years, highlighting a sharp decline in air connectivity despite efforts to address the issue at the national level. According to airport data, only 284 flights (142 arrivals and 142 departures) operated from Prayagraj Airport in May 2026. During the month, a total of 43,733 passengers used the airport, including 21,434 arrivals and 22,299 departures. The figures indicate that, barring the Covid-hit years, May 2026 recorded the weakest performance in terms of both flight operations and passenger traffic. In May 2020, when nationwide restrictions were in force due to the pandemic, only 38 flights carried 2,379 passengers. The impact of Covid-19 continued in May 2021, when 338 flights handled 16,193 passengers. Passenger numbers rebounded thereafter, with 56,258 travellers flying through the airport in May 2022 on 712 flights, followed by 61,279 passengers on 706 flights in May 2023. In May 2024, the airport handled 44,346 passengers through 540 flights, while May 2025 saw 55,272 passengers travel on 432 flights. Compared to May 2025, passenger traffic in May 2026 declined by nearly 11,500 passengers, while the number of flights dropped by 148. The decline comes despite efforts by Phulpur MP Praveen Patel, who had raised the issue of inadequate flight connectivity in Parliament and sought an increase in air services from Prayagraj. However, the number of flights operating from the airport has not improved. Prayagraj Airport earlier had regular air links with several major cities, but connectivity has reduced significantly in recent years. At present, Mumbai is the only destination with daily flight services, while flights to Delhi operate six days a week. Regular services are now available to only six cities, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar and Bilaspur....