Tabletop runway

Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport in Saba, an example of a tabletop runway.

Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport in Madeira.

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)	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	[5]
	Malappuram, Kerala	Calicut International Airport	CCJ/VOCL	[6]
	Karnataka	Mangalore International Airport	IXE/VOML	[7] [8]
	Kannur, Kerala	Kannur International Airport	CNN/VOKN	[9]
	Mizoram	Lengpui Airport	AJL/VELP	[8]
	Sikkim	Pakyong Airport	PYG/VEPY	[10]
	North Goa district	Manohar International Airport	GOX/VOGA	[ citation needed ]
Italy	Lampedusa	Lampedusa Airport	LMP/LICD	[11]
Nepal	Dolpa	Dolpa Airport	DOP/VNDP	[12]
	Khotang	Manmaya Rai Airport	?/VKND	[12]
	Okhaldhunga	Rumjatar Airport	RUM/VNRT	[12]
	Mugu	Talcha Airport	?/VNRR	[13]
	Solukhumbu	Tenzing–Hillary Airport	LUA/VNLK	[14]
	Kathmandu	Tribhuvan International Airport	KTM/VNKT	[15] [12]
	Sankhuwasabha	Tumlingtar Airport	TMI/VNTR	[12]
Netherlands	Saba	Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport	SAB/TNCS	[14]
Philippines	Baguio	Loakan Airport	BAG/RPUB
Portugal	Santa Cruz	Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport	FNC/LPMA	[16]
Saint Helena	Longwood	Saint Helena Airport	HLE/FHSH	[ citation needed ]
Spain	Playa Santiago	La Gomera Airport	GMZ/GCGM
	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. ^[17]
• On 27 May 2017, Summit Air Flight 409 stalled on final approach to Tenzing–Hillary Airport, subsequently crashing 122 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 sloppy terrain 39.6 metres (130 ft) short of the runway. ^[18]
• 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 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]

References

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. 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.
8. "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.
12. "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. "16 Most Dangerous Airports of The World - 2020 List". holidify.com. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
15. "Factbox: What is a 'table-top runway', the site of deadly Air India plane crash?". Reuters. 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
16. "Madeira Airport". MapnAll. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
17. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Embraer EMB-500 Phenom 100 N224MD Sedona Airport, AZ (SDX)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
18. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Let L-410UVP-E20 9N-AKY Lukla-Tenzing-Hillary Airport (LUA)". www.aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
19. "Air India plane overshoots Karipur's table top runway, drops into valley; 19 dead". Hindustan Times. 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
20. "Plane crash at Nepal's Kathmandu airport kills 18". Reuters. 2024-07-24. Retrieved 2024-07-24.