SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters stormed Bolivia's busiest airport on Friday as rightist opposition groups fought the government of President Evo Morales for control of the country's main air hub.

At least 7,000 protesters shouting "This is ours" occupied airport hallways and waved flags on the runway. The government withdrew troops that had occupied the airport since Thursday, after airlines complained of corrupt practices.

The airport in the country's wealthy eastern region was shut down for part of Friday due to the protests but restarted operations in the afternoon, local media reported.

The military occupied the airport on government orders after several airlines, including American Airlines <AMR.N> and Brazil's Gol <GOL.N> <GOLL4.SA>, suspended flights complaining airport officials demanded cash payments for landing rights.

Government officials say the levies were illegal, but Santa Cruz civic leaders argue that sending the army was out of proportion with the problem.

"An act of corruption does not justify sending the army," protest leader Branco Marinkovic told Reuters.

Anti-riot police dispersed protesters with tear gas when they tried to storm the airport on Thursday, but on Friday troops withdrew from the scene.

The dispute is the latest between Morales' leftist government and the right-wing opposition in the Santa Cruz province, the country's agricultural heartland.

Although Morales has strong support among poorer people in Santa Cruz the opposition is strong in the middle- and upper-class.

Many in the city of Santa Cruz, the largest in the country, complain Morales, Bolivia's first president of indigenous descent, is governing only for the majority Indian population, ignoring middle class demands.

Bolivia, South America's poorest country, is roughly split along ethnic and economic lines, with the Quechua and Aymara Indians concentrated in the Western highlands, while the eastern plains are home to the mixed-race minority.

Protests have been organized by Marinkovic's Santa Cruz Civic Committee, a powerful group created in the early 1950s to push for more autonomy for the region.

Its leaders want more independence from the Morales administration and a larger share of the country's energy revenues, which have swelled since Morales nationalized the natural-gas rich energy industry last year.

As the government moves forward with an ambitious land reform including plans to expropriate idle land, tensions between Morales and Santa Cruz are increasing. Marinkovic is one of the region's big land owners.

AlertNet news is provided by