U.S. missionaries send plane to Aceh

JAYAPURA: The Papua administration has given the go-ahead for a plane it normally relies on to be sent to Aceh for evacuation purposes and to drop aid to tsunami victims.

The Grand Caravan PPK-MPS Cessna 28, which is owned by the Mission Aviation Fellowship, was sent along with two pilots Douglas Wayne Allrich, a U.S. citizen, and Berghius H Meindert of the Netherlands.

The plane, which left Jayapura's Sentani airport on Sunday, was scheduled to arrive in Aceh on Jan. 4. The plane has a capacity of 1.2 tons and with its small body it can reach remote areas. --JP