Aid flights resume as Aceh runway cleared

Salvage crews have dragged a stranded cargo jet off the runway at Banda Aceh, a key hub for relief flights in Indonesia, opening…

Salvage crews have dragged a stranded cargo jet off the runway at Banda Aceh, a key hub for relief flights in Indonesia, opening up the runway for further aid landings.

Aid efforts were severely hampered this morning when the airport was closed to planes after a chartered Boeing 737 cargo plane blocked the runway after its landing gear collapsed.

The airport was closed to fixed-wing craft overnight after the chartered Boeing 737 reportedly hit a water buffalo on landing and damaged its undercarriage.

The airport had been handling round-the-clock flights rushing in disaster relief.