From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport in Saba, an example of a tabletop runway.
An Air India Express landing on Kozhikode International Airport in India.
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 Sao Paulo Congonhas Airport CGH/SBSP
  Colombia Bucaramanga Palonegro International Airport BGA/SKBG
Pasto Antonio Nariño Airport PSO/SKPS
Pereira Matecaña International Airport PEI/SKPE
  Faroe Islands Sørvágur Vágar Airport FAE/EKVG
  France Courchevel Courchevel Airport CVF/LFLJ
  India Himachal Pradesh Shimla Airport SLV/VISM [5]
Kerala Calicut International Airport CCJ/VOCL [6]
Kerala Kannur International Airport CNN/VOKN
Karnataka Mangalore International Airport IXE/VOML [7] [8]
Mizoram Lengpui Airport AJL/VELP [8]
Sikkim Pakyong Airport PYG/VEPY [9]
  Italy Lampedusa Lampedusa Airport LMP/LICD [10]
    Nepal Dolpa Dolpa Airport DOP/VNDP [11]
Khotang Manmaya Rai Airport ?/VKND [11]
Okhaldhunga Rumjatar Airport RUM/VNRT [11]
Mugu Talcha Airport ?/VNRR [12]
Solukhumbu Tenzing–Hillary Airport LUA/VNLK [13]
Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport KTM/VNKT [14] [11]
Sankhuwasabha Tumlingtar Airport TMI/VNTR [11]
  Netherlands Saba Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport SAB/TNCS [13]
  Philippines Baguio Loakan Airport BAG/RPUB
  Portugal Santa Cruz Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport FNC/LPMA [15]
  Saint Helena Longwood Saint Helena Airport HLE/FHSH
  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
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

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. ^ a b "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. ^ "Pakyong in Sikkim another risky airport with tabletop runway". The India Times. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  10. ^ "Tabletop Runway: Definition and Risks". aviationfiles. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Kathmandu Airport also sits on a 'table-top', like Kozhikode". AviationNepal.com | Aviation Nepal News Network. 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  12. ^ Daily, Republica (Jan 16, 2017). "Talcha Airport: Precarious yet astonishing to look at". Archived from the original on 2021-12-15.
  13. ^ a b "16 Most Dangerous Airports of The World - 2020 List". www.holidify.com. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  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. ^ "Air India plane overshoots Karipur's table top runway, drops into valley; 19 dead". Hindustan Times. 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2020-08-07.