What is a table top runway? How many such runways are there in India?

Table-top runway: A major accident has happened in Kathmandu, Nepal today. A domestic plane crashed while taking off from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. While taking off, the plane suddenly turned into a ball of fire. There were 19 people on board the plane, out of which 18 people died. The pilot has been rescued and is currently undergoing treatment in the hospital.

The table-top runway has once again come into the limelight due to the plane crash in Nepal. Table top runways have been the cause of many major plane crashes around the world.

What is a table top runway?

A table top runway is a runway that is usually located at a height. These runways are on high terrain or hilly terrain. This runway has a deep valley on one or both sides. This means that one or more sides of the runway are very steep. Landing an aircraft on a table top runway is very difficult because if the aircraft overshoots the runway, it goes straight down.

India also has five table top runways

Five airports in India have table top runways. The airports where table top runways have been built include Shimla, Calicut, Mangalore, Langpui (Mizoram) and Pakyong (Sikkim). Major tragedies have already occurred at the airports of Kerala and Mangalore.

Langpui Airport

This is an airport built in Mizoram called Lengpui Airport. It is a table top airport. There is darkness on both sides. Streams of water flow under the runway of this airport. This airport is considered extremely dangerous.

Mangalore Airport

Mangalore Airport in India is also a table top airport. A major tragedy occurred here in May 2010. In this accident, Air India's plane overshot the table top runway. After falling down the mountain, the plane burst into flames. 158 passengers including 6 crew members died in this accident.

accident at kozhikode airport

Ten years later, on 7 August 2020, another table top runway was seen. The Air India Express flight from Dubai to Kozhikode was a part of the Vande Bharat Mission to bring back Indian citizens stranded due to the Covid pandemic. The plane slipped off the table top runway and crashed down. Nineteen passengers and both pilots died in the accident, but 169 others survived.