Due to miscommunication, the pilots do not realize that Trivandrum is facing weather worse than Cochin, which reduces the visibility level.

The enquiry is held mainly because Alma Asthana, an elderly woman who was on the flight and was the sole passenger to trust Khanna with his decision to divert to Trivandrum, had died of a heart attack on her way to the hospital.

[17] The film is based on true events, in which a plane from Doha to Kochi landed with only a very small amount of fuel left.

"[27] Shweta Keshri of India Today gave the film a rating of 3.5/5 and wrote, "With Runway 34, Ajay Devgn finally finds his tongue as a director, and two atrocious prior attempts.

"[28] Rohit Bhatnagar of The Free Press Journal gave the film a rating of 3.5/5 and wrote, "With Runway 34, Ajay Devgn surely found his space that is rich in thrill.

"[31] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film a rating of 3/5 and wrote, "Ajay Devgn, with a consistent performance that never goes off the radar, powers Runway 34.

"[33] Sukanya Verma of Rediff gave the film a rating of 2.5/5 and wrote, "Runway 34 is a clumsy cocktail of Hollywood movies spiked with the Bollywood brand of God complex.

"[34] Sanjana Jadhav of Pinkvilla gave the film a rating of 2.5/5 and wrote, "Runway 34 can be a one-time watch but there are better aviation dramas you may want to explore.

"[13] Navneet Vyasan of News 18 gave the film a rating of 2.5/5 and wrote, "Good VFX but Ajay Devgn's character feels cliched, Amitabh Bachchan holds together the enquiry scenes.

"[14] Anna M. M. Vetticad of Firstpost gave the film a rating of 2.5/5 and wrote, "Runway 34 is unmemorable because it lacks a sense of urgency even while recounting a life-and-death story.

"[36] Monika Rawal Kukreja of The Hindustan Times stated, "The Ajay Devgn directorial, which stars himself, Amitabh Bachchan, and Rakul Preet Singh is an edgy, fast-paced aviation drama that ends up being a great big screen cinematic experience.