A tabletop runway is a

runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...

that is located on the top of a

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

or hill with one or both ends adjacent to a steep precipice which drops into a deep

gorge A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tend ...

. 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 In aviation, a visual approach is an approach to a runway at an airport conducted under instrument flight rules (IFR) but where the pilot proceeds by visual reference and clear of clouds to the airport. The pilot must at all times have either th ...

by the pilot when instrument landing is not used or not available.

List of tabletop runways

} , - , Kannur, Kerala , Kannur International Airport , CNN/VOKN , , - , Mizoram , Lengpui Airport , AJL/VELP , , - ,

Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...

, Pakyong Airport , PYG/VEPY , , - ,

North Goa district North Goa district is one of the two districts that constitutes the state of Goa, India. The district has an area of , and is bounded by Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra state to the north and by Belgavi district of Karnatak ...

, Manohar International Airport , GOX/VOGA , , - , , Lampedusa , Lampedusa Airport , LMP/LICD , , - , rowspan="7" , , 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 , , - ,

Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...

, Tribhuvan International Airport , KTM/VNKT , , - , Sankhuwasabha , Tumlingtar Airport , TMI/VNTR , , - , , Saba , Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport , SAB/TNCS , , - , ,

Tromsø Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...

, Tromsø Airport , TOS/ENTC , , - , ,

Baguio Baguio ( , , ), officially the City of Baguio (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

, Loakan Airport , BAG/RPUB , , - , , Santa Cruz , Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport , FNC/LPMA , , - , , Longwood , Saint Helena Airport , HLE/FHSH , , - , rowspan="2" , , Playa Santiago , La Gomera Airport , GMZ/GCGM , , - , Montferrer i Castellbò , Andorra-La Seu d'Urgell Airport , LEU/LESU , , - , rowspan="7" , , rowspan="4" ,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, Catalina Airport , AVX/KAVX , , - , Monterey Airport , MRY/KMRY , , - , McClellan Palomar Airport , CLD/KCRQ , , - , San Nicolas Island NOLF , ?/KNSI , , - ,

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, Sedona Airport , SDX/KSEZ , , - ,

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, Yeager Airport , CRW/KCRW , , - ,

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, 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 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 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 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 Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

with 19 fatalities including the captain and co-pilot.

References

Airport infrastructure {{aviation-stub