On Friday evening, Air India Express flight (IX-1344) overshot the runway while landing at the Karipur airport in Kozhikode. The plane broke into two after overshooting the runway. There were 190 people on board the flight including 174 adults, 10 children, four cabin crew, and two pilots.

The incident on a tabletop runway evokes the memory of a similar crash on May 22, 2010, of Air India Express flight IX 812 from Dubai to Mangalore. While landing, the flight had overshot the tabletop runway following which the aircraft fell off the cliff at the end of the runway and burst into flames killing 158 people on board, leaving 8 survivors.

A tabletop runway is considered dangerous for aircraft landings and takeoffs, particularly in the rainy season.

A tabletop runway located on the top of a plateau or hill with one or both ends adjacent to a steep slope that drops into a deep gorge. These steep slopes create an optical illusion. It is considered unsafe as it doesn’t have an overshoot area. Thus, in case of a landing error and if the plane lands far down the runway, it might end up in a disaster. Thus it is said to require a precise approach while landing.

Lengpui Airport in Mizoram, Calicut International Airport in Malappuram and Mangalore International Airport are the three airports with tabletop runways in India.