Why are runways longer for takeoff and landings at high altitude airpots?
The higher you go, the air becomes less and less dense, making it harder for a plane to fly.
Less dense air makes the wings a little ineffective. As the engines get less air for combustion, it is harder to run the engines. It results that the pilot has to run with more throttle, but the resultant thrust will be less.
The runways are made longer to make the landings and take-offs easier. The engines won't give out enough thrust with less dense air, so the plane needs more time to accelerate to take-off speed, hence longer runway required.
While landing, the longer runway allows higher approach speeds, allowing the pilot to remain in a comfortable approach speed. The air flowing on the wings is also not very dense, increasing the risk of a stall in lower speeds.
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