The crash involving an Air India Express plane that was attempting to land amid heavy tailwinds and rain on a tabletop runway at the Kozhikode airport has once again shone a light on safety concerns overflight operations in such conditions. Concerns were raised following the 2010 Air India Express crash in Mangalore that killed 158 people on board. That year, a court of an enquiry report by a former Indian Air Force chief Air Marshal BN Gokhale noted that tabletop runways require extra skill and caution.

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The hazard of “undershooting” and “overshooting”, in particular, can lead to grave situations, the report said. “While the length of the runway 24/06 (in Mangalore) is adequate for operations by aircraft such as Airbus A320 and Boeing 737-800, the downward slope at end of R/W 24 leading into hill slope is not recommended if one is to consider the hazards of overshooting the paved surface during takeoff or landing.” the report, submitted in October 2010, said.

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“There are three tabletop airports in India from where scheduled flights operate. These are Mangalore, Kozhikode and Lengpui. Because of the undulating terrain and constraints of space, these airfields require extra skill and caution while carrying out flight operations. The hazard of undershooting and overshooting, in particular, can lead to grave situations, as was the case in this accident (in Mangalore). These table-top runways also have a problem of access roads around the airfield, which may need to be used in case of aircraft accidents,” it added.

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