Tabletop runway explained

A tabletop runway is a runway that is located on the top of a plateau or hill with one or both ends adjacent to a steep precipice which drops into a deep gorge.^{[1] [2]} This type of runway creates an optical illusion of being at the same level as the plains below, which requires a very precise visual approach by the pilot when instrument landing is not used or not available.^{[3] [4]}

List of tabletop runways

Country	Location	Airport	Airport Codes (IATA/ICAO)	class=unsortable	Ref.
	Sao Paulo	Congonhas Airport	CGH/SBSP
	Bucaramanga	Palonegro International Airport	BGA/SKBG
	Pasto	Antonio Nariño Airport	PSO/SKPS
	Pereira	Matecaña International Airport	PEI/SKPE
	Sørvágur	Vágar Airport	FAE/EKVG	^[5]
	Courchevel	Courchevel Airport	CVF/LFLJ
	Himachal Pradesh	Shimla Airport	SLV/VISM	^[6]
	Kerala	Calicut International Airport	CCJ/VOCL	^[7]
	Karnataka	Mangalore International Airport	IXE/VOML	^[8] ^[9]	url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/the-dangers-posed-by-tabletop-runways-1.4961521%7Ctitle=The dangers posed by tabletop runways|website=Mathrubhumi}}
	Mizoram	Lengpui Airport	AJL/VELP
	Sikkim	Pakyong Airport	PYG/VEPY	^[10]
	Lampedusa	Lampedusa Airport	LMP/LICD	^[11]
	Dolpa	Dolpa Airport	DOP/VNDP	^[12]
	Khotang	Manmaya Rai Airport	?/VKND
	Okhaldhunga	Rumjatar Airport	RUM/VNRT
	Mugu	Talcha Airport	?/VNRR	^[13]
	Solukhumbu	Tenzing–Hillary Airport	LUA/VNLK	^[14]
	Kathmandu	Tribhuvan International Airport	KTM/VNKT	^[15]
	Sankhuwasabha	Tumlingtar Airport	TMI/VNTR
	Saba	Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport	SAB/TNCS
	Baguio	Loakan Airport	BAG/RPUB
	Santa Cruz	Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport	FNC/LPMA	^[16]
	Longwood	Saint Helena Airport	HLE/FHSH
	Playa Santiago	La Gomera Airport	GMZ/GCGM
	Montferrer i Castellbò	Andorra-La Seu d'Urgell Airport	LEU/LESU
	California	Catalina Airport	AVX/KAVX
		Monterey Airport	MRY/KMRY
		McClellan Palomar Airport	CLD/KCRQ
		San Nicolas Island NOLF	?/KNSI
	Arizona	Sedona Airport	SDX/KSEZ
	West Virginia	Yeager Airport	CRW/KCRW
	Colorado	Telluride Airport	TEX/KTEX

Selected accidents and incidents

• On 19 November 1977, TAP Air Portugal Flight 425, a Boeing 727-200, landed long over the runway in Madeira Airport, plunged over a steep bank and then crashed hard onto a beach, killing 131 of 164 people on board. In response, the runway was dramatically extended and got several upgrades in the following decades.
• The configuration of Mangalore Airport has been cited as a factor in the Air India Express Flight 812 crash on 22 May 2010. The Boeing 737-800 operated by Air India Express overshot the runway threshold touchdown area, failed to stop, went out of control, and rolled down a steep hillside, killing 158 of 166 people on board.
• On 25 May 2011, an Embraer Phenom 100, N224MD, operated by JetSuite overran the runway during landing at the Sedona Airport. The pilots approached with an excessive airspeed, which resulted in a failure to stop the airplane before overrunning the runway. The airplane came to the rest upright on an approximately 40-degree incline at approximately 117.6m (385.8feet) below the departure end of runway 21. The first officer and one passenger suffered serious injuries.^[17]
• On 27 May 2017, Summit Air Flight 409 stalled on final approach to Tenzing–Hillary Airport, subsequently crashing 122m (400feet) below the threshold of runway 06. The cargo flight descended too low on approach, upon which pilots suddenly increased the angle of attack at the low speed. The aircraft stalled as a result of excessive drag and impacted the sloppy terrain 39.6m (129.9feet) short of the runway.^[18]
• On 7 August 2020, an Air India Express Flight 1344 Boeing 737 (as part of Vande Bharat Mission) skidded off the tabletop runway at Calicut International Airport in Kerala with 19 fatalities including the captain and co-pilot.^[19]
• On 24 July 2024, a Saurya Airlines Flight 9N-AME (Bombardier CRJ200) crashed and caught fire while taking off from Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu with 18 fatalities.^[20]

Notes and References

1. News: Beauty belies tricky runway. 2010-05-22. The Telegraph. 2010-05-23. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20180219032723/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100523/jsp/nation/story_12479049.jsp. 2018-02-19.
2. News: What is a table-top airport?. 2010-05-23. NDTV. 2010-05-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20120929212552/http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/mangalore-air-crash-what-is-a-table-top-airport-27176. 2012-09-29. dead.
3. News: Tabletop runways create an optical illusion. 2010-05-22. The Hindu. 2010-05-23.
4. Web site: Why the Tabletop runways considered risky?.
5. Web site: What Is A Tabletop Runway?. Simpleflying.
6. Web site: Service. Tribune News. Shimla's table-top airport 'riskiest', is 300 metres short of required length. 2020-08-11. Tribuneindia News Service. en.
7. Web site: 2020-08-11. Quixplained graphic: What are tabletop runways?. 2020-08-28. The Indian Express. en.
8. Web site: Tabletop Runways. 2020-08-07. GKToday. en-US.
9. Web site: Calicut is one of the three tabletop airports in India, runways hinder rescue operations. Moneycontrol. web
10. Web site: Pakyong in Sikkim another risky airport with tabletop runway. 2023-07-02. The India Times. en.
11. Web site: Tabletop Runway: Definition and Risks. 2023-07-02. aviationfiles. en.
12. Web site: 2020-08-13. Kathmandu Airport also sits on a ‘table-top’, like Kozhikode.. 2020-08-13. AviationNepal.com Aviation Nepal News Network. en-US.
13. Web site: Daily. Republica. Jan 16, 2017. Talcha Airport: Precarious yet astonishing to look at. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/6izGoL5ufGc . 2021-12-15 . live.
14. Web site: 16 Most Dangerous Airports of The World - 2020 List. 2020-08-07. www.holidify.com.
15. News: 2020-08-08. Factbox: What is a 'table-top runway', the site of deadly Air India plane crash?. en. Reuters. 2020-08-08.
16. Web site: Madeira Airport. 2023-07-02. MapnAll. en.
17. Web site: Ranter. Harro. ASN Aircraft accident Embraer EMB-500 Phenom 100 N224MD Sedona Airport, AZ (SDX). 2020-08-20. aviation-safety.net.
18. Web site: Ranter. Harro. ASN Aircraft accident Let L-410UVP-E20 9N-AKY Lukla-Tenzing-Hillary Airport (LUA). 2020-08-08. www.aviation-safety.net.
19. Web site: 2020-08-07. Air India plane overshoots Karipur’s table top runway, drops into valley; 19 dead. 2020-08-07. Hindustan Times. en.
20. Web site: 2024-07-24 . Plane crash at Nepal's Kathmandu airport kills 18 . live . 2024-07-24 . Reuters.