Runway crack fixed by concrete; flights resume

HANGZHOU - Flights at an airport in East China's Zhejiang province had resumed at noon Monday after a "minor" crack on the runway halted operations, an airport official said.

The first flight, CA1759, from the provincial capital, Hangzhou, to southwestern Chongqing, departed from the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport after maintenance workers repaired the runway with concrete, a spokesman with the airport said.

The airport suspended all inbound and outbound flights after a crack was found on the runway during a routine weekly check, according to the spokesman.

The spokesman would not say how large the crack was, but he described it as "minor."

Thirty flights were delayed due to the suspension, affecting about 1,000 passengers, the spokesman said.

The airport deals with more than 300 flights daily with annual passenger arrivals and departures at about 17 million.

It has only one runway, but a second is under construction.

The spokesman said the cause of the crack was not yet known, but technicians said it might be related to prolonged low temperatures this winter.

Crack will cause heavy losses even it's minor or not for the air transport.