Mangalore airport is in the list of Classified Airports in India

India has many airports that come with a `special tag' due to peculiarities and complexities involved in the landing and take-off procedures for aircraft at these airports.

Typically, airports located in hilly and mountainous regions, and those adjacent to water bodies like rivers and seas are classified as `special'.

The Mangalore airport is one among the list of such airports. Others include the ones in Srinagar, Leh, Port Blair, Calicut, and Agatti in Lakshadweep. The Vizag airport used to be on this list up until a new airport was built.


"The runways at the airports in Leh and Port Blair are unidirectional, which means aircraft can only land and take off in one direction irrespective of the direction of the wind. That's because both airports have mountainous terrain on one side of the runway," says a former air force pilot who has a flying experience of more than 35 years.

The Mangalore airport is situated on a hillock, and the runway is built on a flat stretch of land, with either ends of the runway sloping downwards. So, if a pilot misjudges his landing or take-off, the aircraft will overshoot the runway and go down hill. Which is what seems to have happened to AirIndia Express flight IX-812.

"At the Calicut airport, pilots have to keep a close watch on the hills situated close by. At Agatti, the runway is very small, with tall trees on one side of the airport. At Srinagar airport, there are high wind speeds and a mountainous topography," says a pilot, who flies for a leading airline in India.

Only very experienced pilots and co-pilots are deployed to fly aircraft to airports that have certain peculiarities.

According to airline officials, pilots operating flights to these airports are made to undergo special training programmes, and are constantly put through special checks. "They not only have to be well versed with the topography of the land surrounding these airports but also with the extreme weather conditions that most of these special airports are faced with," said an airline official.

Kathmandu in Nepal is another airport where pilots have to take special precautions, as the landing and take-off paths are through mountains.