It is located near Chhend Colony, 6 km (3.7 mi) west of the city centre.

It involved expansion of the runway from 1,765 m to 1,930 m to handle larger aircraft, like the ATR-72 and De Havilland 8-400 aircraft, construction of a new apron, a parallel taxiway to the runway, a new passenger terminal building and a perimeter wall.

[8] The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted licence to Rourkela Airport for public use on 19 December 2022.

Commercial operations to Rourkela began from 7 January 2023, with direct flights provided by Alliance Air to Bhubaneswar[9] and to Kolkata from 1 September 2023.

The interiors of the terminal building depict local handicraft, culture, artwork and tourist destinations of Odisha.