International flights to the French overseas territory of Wallis and Futuna have resumed after locals ended an 11-day blockade of Wallis Hihifo Airport this week.

The blockade began last month when five Wallisian chiefs accused the French authorities of failing to honour an agreement in which Hihifo airport would use tribal land in return for the creation of work for locals. In protest, local Wallisians blocked the airport's car park with pick-up trucks and camped out on the airport lawn.

Though the French prefect to the islands, Marcel Renouf, secured an order from the court of appeal in New Caledonia requiring each of the chiefs to pay a USD900 fine for each day the protest persisted, the blockade continued with the chiefs demanding French overseas minister, George Pau-Langevin, send a mediator to settle the dispute.

The impasse was partially settled on December 2 when Renouf and representatives of the chiefs signed an agreement in which assurances were made that talks would be held with French aviation authorities concerning the employment of locals.

Aircalin (SB, Nouméa La Tontouta) has since resumed flights to the islands, which are located in the South Pacific Ocean, between Fiji and the Samoa islands.