Rourkela Airport is a domestic airport serving Rourkela, Odisha, India. It is located near Chhend Colony, 6 km (3.7 mi) west of the city centre. The airport is capable of handling ATR-72 type aircraft, an apron for parking of two aircraft at a time and a general aviation terminal. The license for commercial usage of the airport was issued in January 2019. The airport upgradation project was taken up by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at a cost of ₹ 64.24 crore. 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. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted licence to Rourkela Airport for public use on 19 December 2022. The airport was upgraded from 2B to 2C category type. Commercial operations to Rourkela began from 7 January 2023, with direct flights provided by Alliance Air to Bhubaneswar and to Kolkata from 1 September 2023.

Rourkela is a planned city located in the northern district Sundargarh of Odisha, India. It is the third-largest Urban Agglomeration in Odisha after Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. It is situated about 328 kilometres (204 mi) west of state capital Bhubaneswar and is surrounded by a range of hills and encircled by the rivers Koel, Sankha, & Brahmani. The city is also popularly known as Ispat Nagar and Steel City of Odisha as well. One of the largest integrated steel plants set up with German collaboration Known as Rourkela Steel Plant, of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). It also has one of the premier national level technical institute known as National Institutes of Technology (NIT Rourkela). Every year, on 3 March Rourkela Day has been celebrated.