Tabletop runway

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. 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.

List of tabletop runways

Country	Location	Airport	Airport codes		Ref.
Country	Location	Airport	IATA	ICAO	Ref.
Brazil	São Paulo	Congonhas Airport	CGH	SBSP
Colombia	Bucaramanga	Palonegro International Airport	BGA	SKBG
	Pasto	Antonio Nariño Airport	PSO	SKPS	^{[citation needed]}
	Pereira	Matecaña International Airport	PEI	SKPE
Faroe Islands	Sørvágur	Vágar Airport	FAE	EKVG	^{[citation needed]}
France	Courchevel	Courchevel Airport	CVF	LFLJ
India	Himachal Pradesh	Shimla Airport	SLV	VISM
	Kerala	Calicut International Airport	CCJ	VOCL
	Karnataka	Mangalore International Airport	IXE	VOML
	Kerala	Kannur International Airport	CNN	VOKN
	Maharashtra	Baramati Airport	-	-
	Mizoram	Lengpui Airport	AJL	VELP
	Sikkim	Pakyong Airport	PYG	VEPY
Italy	Lampedusa	Lampedusa Airport	LMP	LICD
Nepal	Dolpa	Dolpa Airport	DOP	VNDP
	Khotang	Manmaya Rai Airport	?	VKND
	Okhaldhunga	Rumjatar Airport	RUM	VNRT
	Mugu	Talcha Airport	?	VNRR
	Solukhumbu	Tenzing–Hillary Airport	LUA	VNLK	^{[citation needed]}
	Kathmandu	Tribhuvan International Airport	KTM	VNKT
	Sankhuwasabha	Tumlingtar Airport	TMI	VNTR
Netherlands	Saba	Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport	SAB	TNCS	^{[citation needed]}
Norway	Tromsø	Tromsø Airport	TOS	ENTC
Philippines	Baguio	Loakan Airport	BAG	RPUB
Portugal	Santa Cruz	Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport	FNC	LPMA
Saint Helena	Longwood	Saint Helena Airport	HLE	FHSH	^{[citation needed]}
Spain	Playa Santiago	La Gomera Airport	GMZ	GCGM
Spain	Montferrer i Castellbò	Andorra-La Seu d'Urgell Airport	LEU	LESU
United States	California	Catalina Airport	AVX	KAVX	^{[citation needed]}
		Monterey Airport	MRY	KMRY
		McClellan Palomar Airport	CLD	KCRQ
		San Nicolas Island NOLF	?	KNSI
	Arizona	Sedona Airport	SDX	KSEZ	^{[citation needed]}
	West Virginia	Yeager Airport	CRW	KCRW	^{[citation needed]}
	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 117.6 metres (386 ft) below the departure end of runway 21. The first officer and one passenger suffered serious injuries.
On 27 May 2017, Summit Air Flight 409 stalled on final approach to Tenzing–Hillary Airport, subsequently crashing 120 metres (400 ft) 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 sloping terrain 40 metres (130 ft) short of the runway.
On 7 August 2020, an Air India Express Flight 1344, a Boeing 737-800 (as part of Vande Bharat Mission) skidded off the tabletop runway at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, killing 21 of the 190 people on board, including the captain and co-pilot.
On 28 January 2026, at around 9:12 a.m., a business jet carrying the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, crashed and exploded on its second landing attempt at Baramati Airport, killing him and four others. The aircraft involved was VT-SSK, a Learjet 45XR operated by VSR Aviation.

References

↑ "Beauty belies tricky runway". The Telegraph. 2010-05-22. Archived from the original on 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
↑ "What is a table-top airport?". NDTV. 2010-05-23. Archived from the original on 2012-09-29. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
↑ "Tabletop runways create an optical illusion". The Hindu. 2010-05-22. Archived from the original on November 13, 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
↑ "Why the Tabletop runways considered risky?".
↑ Service, Tribune News. "Shimla's table-top airport 'riskiest', is 300 metres short of required length". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
↑ "Quixplained graphic: What are tabletop runways?". The Indian Express. 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
↑ "Tabletop Runways". GKToday. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
1 2 "Calicut is one of the three tabletop airports in India, runways hinder rescue operations". Moneycontrol. web|url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/the-dangers-posed-by-tabletop-runways-1.4961521%7Ctitle=The dangers posed by tabletop runways|website=Mathrubhumi}}
↑ Krishnaswamy, Murali N. (8 August 2020). "tabletop Runway". The Hindu.
↑ "Pakyong in Sikkim another risky airport with tabletop runway". The Economic Times. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
↑ "Tabletop Runway: Definition and Risks". aviationfiles. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
1 2 3 4 5 "Kathmandu Airport also sits on a 'table-top', like Kozhikode". AviationNepal.com. 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
↑ Daily, Republica (Jan 16, 2017). "Talcha Airport: Precarious yet astonishing to look at". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15.
↑ "Factbox: What is a 'table-top runway', the site of deadly Air India plane crash?". Reuters. 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
↑ "Madeira Airport". MapnAll. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
↑ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Embraer EMB-500 Phenom 100 N224MD Sedona Airport, AZ (SDX)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
↑ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Let L-410UVP-E20 9N-AKY Lukla-Tenzing-Hillary Airport (LUA)". www.aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
↑ Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (13 September 2022). Accident to M/s Air India Express' Boeing 737-800 Aircraft VT-AXH at Kozhikode, India on 07.08.2020 (PDF) (Working paper). International Civil Aviation Organization. A41-WP/566, TE/211. Retrieved 2026-06-23.

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[1] "Beauty belies tricky runway". The Telegraph. 2010-05-22. Archived from the original on 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2010-05-23.

[2] "What is a table-top airport?". NDTV. 2010-05-23. Archived from the original on 2012-09-29. Retrieved 2010-05-23.

[3] "Tabletop runways create an optical illusion". The Hindu. 2010-05-22. Archived from the original on November 13, 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-23.

[4] "Why the Tabletop runways considered risky?".

[5] Service, Tribune News. "Shimla's table-top airport 'riskiest', is 300 metres short of required length". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 2020-08-11.

[6] "Quixplained graphic: What are tabletop runways?". The Indian Express. 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2020-08-28.

[7] "Tabletop Runways". GKToday. Retrieved 2020-08-07.

[auto-8] 1 2 "Calicut is one of the three tabletop airports in India, runways hinder rescue operations". Moneycontrol. web|url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/the-dangers-posed-by-tabletop-runways-1.4961521%7Ctitle=The dangers posed by tabletop runways|website=Mathrubhumi}}

[9] Krishnaswamy, Murali N. (8 August 2020). "tabletop Runway". The Hindu.

[10] "Pakyong in Sikkim another risky airport with tabletop runway". The Economic Times. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 2023-07-02.

[11] "Tabletop Runway: Definition and Risks". aviationfiles. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 2023-07-02.

[:1-12] 1 2 3 4 5 "Kathmandu Airport also sits on a 'table-top', like Kozhikode". AviationNepal.com. 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2020-08-13.

[13] Daily, Republica (Jan 16, 2017). "Talcha Airport: Precarious yet astonishing to look at". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15.

[14] "Factbox: What is a 'table-top runway', the site of deadly Air India plane crash?". Reuters. 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2020-08-08.

[15] "Madeira Airport". MapnAll. Retrieved 2023-07-02.

[16] Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Embraer EMB-500 Phenom 100 N224MD Sedona Airport, AZ (SDX)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2020-08-20.

[17] Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Let L-410UVP-E20 9N-AKY Lukla-Tenzing-Hillary Airport (LUA)". www.aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2020-08-08.

[18] Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (13 September 2022). Accident to M/s Air India Express' Boeing 737-800 Aircraft VT-AXH at Kozhikode, India on 07.08.2020 (PDF) (Working paper). International Civil Aviation Organization. A41-WP/566, TE/211. Retrieved 2026-06-23.

Tabletop runway

List of tabletop runways

Selected accidents and incidents

See also

References