THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hours after Karipur plane crash, a top expert said he had feared a disaster on the tabletop runway that is surrounded by deep gorges.

The Kozhikode airport has a tabletop runway, one of those 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.

The Boeing 737 aircraft made several attempts to land on Runway 10, according to the flight radar. According to a playback on flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, the plane circled the airport two times before attempting to land.

The plane, after landing, "continued running to the end of the runway and fell down into the valley when its front part broke part", according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in a statement.

The airport is located on a hill, and several international airlines had stopped flying bigger aircraft including Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 jets into Kozhikode due to safety issues over the length on the runway.

It was Air Safety expert Captain Mohan Ranganathan who had warned nine years ago. “I had detailed in a report around nine years ago that Calicut (now Kozhikode) airport was not safe for landings.

Of the four airports in Kerala, the Kozhikode airport has the shortest runway. The runway has suffered serious damage due to pounding rains in the past.
"The runway has a steep downslope, no safety area. They were warned nine years back and given proof but they continued to operate and declared the airport safe," Captain Ranganathan said.

He claimed that he had predicted a disaster in some airports in India and Kozhikode was one among them. “Therefore if people have died, it is a murder, a criminal offence," he said.

"There are 200-feet deep gorges on both sides of the tarmac. It is a very steep downslope. Airlines have been operating blindly there," said Captain Ranganathan.

Helplines: Air India Express - 1800 2222 71, Airport Control Room - 0483 2719493, Malappuram Collectorate - 0483 2736320, Kozhikode Collectorate - 0495 2376901.