Rairangpur is a small city in Mayurbhanj district of northern Odisha that carries an outsized national significance: it is the birthplace of Droupadi Murmu, the 15th President of India, the first tribal person and the second woman to hold the nation’s highest constitutional office. That biographical detail brought Rairangpur into national conversation in 2022 when President Murmu was elected — and it shaped what happened at Dandbose Airstrip on 7 December 2024, when President Murmu herself laid the foundation stones for the airstrip’s development under the UDAN scheme during a visit to her hometown. Dandbose Airport — also known as Rairangpur Airstrip — carries no IATA code and no ICAO code, spans 61 acres, has a 750-metre north-south oriented runway maintained by the Odisha state government, sits 6 kilometres from Rairangpur city, and has no scheduled commercial flights as of mid-2026. With UDAN development foundation stones laid and AAI engaging with Big Charter Private Limited for a 19-seat service to Ambikapur via Rourkela, commercial aviation at Rairangpur is closer than ever — but not yet operational.
Quick Overview: Dandbose Airport
| Detail | Information |
| Airport Name | Dandbose Airport (also: Rairangpur Airstrip; Dandbose Airstrip) |
| Location | Dandbose, ~6 km from Rairangpur, Mayurbhanj district, Odisha, India |
| Airport Type | Public — Under UDAN development (no commercial flights yet) |
| IATA Code | Not Assigned |
| ICAO Code | Not Assigned |
| Owner | Works Department, Government of Odisha |
| Operator | Airports Authority of India (AAI) |
| Runway | North-South; ~750 m (2,900 ft) × 50 ft |
| Total Area | 61 acres |
| Elevation | 260 m / 853 ft AMSL |
| Coordinates | 22°18′18″N, 86°08′07″E |
| Distance from Rairangpur City | ~6 km |
| Distance from BBI Bhubaneswar | ~275 km |
| Nearest Airport | Sonari Airport (IXW, Jamshedpur) ~71 km (commercially suspended early 2026) |
| UDAN Foundation Stone | Laid 7 December 2024 by President Droupadi Murmu |
| Planned UDAN Route | Rairangpur–Rourkela–Ambikapur (19-seater service; AAI engaged Big Charter Pvt Ltd) |
| Scheduled Commercial Flights | None (as of mid-2026) |
Dandbose Airport Location: Mayurbhanj’s Tribal Heartland, Presidential Hometown
Dandbose Airport is located approximately 6 kilometres from Rairangpur city centre in Mayurbhanj district, at coordinates 22°18′18″N, 86°08′07″E, at an elevation of 260 metres above sea level. Rairangpur lies in northern Odisha near the Jharkhand border, in the sal forested foothills where the Eastern Ghats give way to the Chota Nagpur plateau terrain.
Mayurbhanj district has strong tribal credentials — home to the Santhal, Ho, Bhumij, and Kolha communities, dense forest cover including the Simlipal Tiger Reserve (one of India’s largest), and the Odisha-Jharkhand-West Bengal tri-junction geography that makes it simultaneously remote from all three state capitals. Rairangpur itself is a subdivision headquarters and market town whose name entered national consciousness when Droupadi Murmu — born here on 20 June 1958 in the Santali community — became President of India in July 2022.
The airstrip sits in the Dandbose area on Rairangpur’s outskirts — open plateau terrain consistent with an airstrip that needed flat land outside the town’s built environment. Simlipal National Park and Tiger Reserve, approximately 60 km southwest, is one of Odisha’s premier wildlife tourism assets — a potential draw for aviation tourists if commercial flights ever operationalise at Dandbose.
Dandbose Airport Code: No IATA, No ICAO
Dandbose Airport has no assigned IATA code and no assigned ICAO code. Both designations are issued after DGCA aerodrome licensing following construction completion and infrastructure readiness — neither of which has been achieved as of mid-2026. The airstrip does not appear in any airline booking system.
Dandbose Airport Terminal: Foundation Stone Laid, UDAN Development Underway
The 750-metre north-south runway on 61 acres has been maintained by Odisha’s Works Department for several decades in serviceable-for-government-aviation condition. The critical milestone came on 7 December 2024: President Droupadi Murmu returned to her hometown of Rairangpur and personally laid the foundation stones for Dandbose Airport’s development under the UDAN scheme — a moment that carried symbolic and administrative weight simultaneously. President Murmu’s constitutional role as a ceremonial head meant her foundation stone laying was an extraordinary personal gesture toward her home district’s connectivity aspirations.
The development framework under UDAN was already in motion before the foundation stone ceremony. The Civil Aviation Ministry’s notification designated Rairangpur for UDAN connectivity — specifically a 19-seater scheduled flight connecting Rairangpur to Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh via Rourkela in Odisha. This triangular route — Rairangpur–Rourkela–Ambikapur — would give Mayurbhanj district connectivity to western Odisha’s industrial city (Rourkela) and to Chhattisgarh’s Surguja region simultaneously. AAI wrote to Big Charter Private Limited regarding this route as the UDAN operator, and the Project Evaluation Committee approved the fund allocation in its 13th meeting on 5 March (year not confirmed in the source but consistent with UDAN 5.x timeline).
As of mid-2026, the UDAN development works — which would include runway strengthening, apron construction, a basic passenger terminal building, ATC facilities, and navigational aids appropriate to DGCA aerodrome licensing — were in progress following the December 2024 foundation stone. No confirmed inaugural commercial flight date had been announced.
Dandbose Airport Connectivity: No Flights Yet; Development Advancing
By Air: No scheduled commercial passenger flights operate from Dandbose Airport as of mid-2026. The UDAN-scheme planned route — Rairangpur to Ambikapur via Rourkela using 19-seat aircraft — is the target commercial service when the airstrip development is complete and DGCA licensing is obtained.
By Road: Rairangpur is connected by road to Baripada (Mayurbhanj district headquarters, approximately 60 km south), Bhubaneswar (approximately 275 km south, 5 to 6 hours), and Jamshedpur in Jharkhand (approximately 100 km via Chaibasa). State and national highway roads connect through the Mayurbhanj hill terrain.
By Rail: Rairangpur Railway Station is on the Baripada–Rairangpur metre-gauge line — a limited service. The nearest broad-gauge railway junction is Baripada (60 km) or further connections via Kharagpur in West Bengal.
Nearest Commercial Airport: With Sonari Airport (IXW, Jamshedpur) approximately 71 km away but with commercial routes suspended since early 2026, the nearest currently operating commercial airport for Rairangpur residents is Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi (IXR, approximately 200 km) or Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar (BBI, approximately 275 km).
Dandbose Airport Amenities: Pre-Commercial Development Stage
No public passenger amenities exist at Dandbose Airport as of mid-2026. The government-maintained airstrip has basic runway and apron infrastructure for VIP and government aircraft movements. The UDAN development works will add the standard first-phase commercial airport package — a small terminal building with check-in, security screening, and waiting facilities; ATC infrastructure; fire safety; and navigational aids — as construction progresses toward DGCA aerodrome licensing.
The airport’s connection to President Murmu gives Rairangpur’s aviation aspirations an unusual political profile. Simlipal Tiger Reserve’s tourism potential — over 1,000 sq km of sal forest, waterfalls, and wildlife — also gives the airport a long-term eco-tourism case that commercial operators will find relevant once service commences.
FAQs: Dandbose Airport
Q1. Does Dandbose Airport have an IATA or ICAO code?
No. Dandbose Airport has no assigned IATA code and no ICAO code. Both will be issued after DGCA aerodrome licensing following UDAN development completion.
Q2. What happened at Dandbose Airport on 7 December 2024?
President of India Droupadi Murmu — who was born in Rairangpur — personally laid the foundation stones for Dandbose Airport’s UDAN scheme development during a visit to her hometown. It was a landmark moment combining the President’s tribal Santali roots with Mayurbhanj’s aviation aspirations.
Q3. What UDAN route is planned for Rairangpur?
A 19-seat scheduled flight service connecting Rairangpur to Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh via Rourkela in Odisha. AAI engaged Big Charter Private Limited for this route. No operational start date had been confirmed as of mid-2026.
Q4. What is Rairangpur’s connection to President Droupadi Murmu?
Droupadi Murmu, the 15th President of India (elected July 2022) and the first tribal person to hold India’s highest constitutional office, was born in Rairangpur on 20 June 1958 in the Santali community of Mayurbhanj district.
Q5. What is the nearest operational commercial airport to Rairangpur?
With Sonari Airport (Jamshedpur, ~71 km) commercially suspended since early 2026, the nearest operating commercial airports are Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi (IXR, ~200 km) and Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik International Airport (BBI, ~275 km).
