Myanmar authorities have temporarily shut down Myitkyina Airport in Kachin State after a drone attack damaged airport infrastructure and a commercial aircraft, further highlighting the deteriorating security situation in the country’s north.
The National Defense and Security Council announced on Tuesday(February 24) that flight operations at Myitkyina Airport have been suspended due to damage to the airport’s apron. A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) has been issued to halt all flights until repairs are completed, according to a statement carried by the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar.
The council said the attack occurred on February 20, when armed fighters from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the People's Defense Force (PDF) targeted a Myanmar National Airlines passenger aircraft with suicide drones. The plane was preparing to depart for Mandalay at the time of the assault. Authorities reported that the aircraft sustained damage to its front, middle and rear sections, though no casualties were immediately disclosed.
According to an Anadolu Ajansı report, the junta said restoration work is underway and efforts are being made to resume normal flight operations as soon as possible.
The incident underscores intensifying clashes in Kachin State, where ethnic armed groups have stepped up attacks against military targets and infrastructure. The region has long been a stronghold of the KIA, one of Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic armed organizations.
Myanmar has been gripped by widespread conflict since the February 2021 military coup that ousted the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy. The takeover plunged the country into prolonged emergency rule and triggered armed resistance movements across multiple regions.
Although the state of emergency formally ended last July and authorities conducted multi-phase elections between late December and late January, violence has persisted. Rights groups estimate that more than 6,000 people have been killed and nearly three million displaced since the coup, as fighting between the military junta and opposition forces continues nationwide.
The temporary closure of Myitkyina Airport marks the latest disruption to civilian infrastructure as Myanmar’s protracted conflict shows little sign of abating.
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