Indian airline suspends flights after plane hits buffalo

NEW DELHI:- An Indian airline has suspended flights from a rural airport after one of its planes hit a buffalo that had strayed onto the runway.

None of the 140 passengers and crew on the Spicejet flight was injured in the accident, which occurred just before takeoff.

But the budget airline suspended all flights from Surat airport in the western Indian state of Gujarat, saying stray animals were a "growing menace" at some airports in India.

The buffalo was "essentially invisible against a dark background," the airline said in a statement, adding it was investigating the accident.