Operations at Tada-U International Airport in Myanmar’s Mandalay region have been suspended for two days after an attack involving six FPV suicide drones. The drones, reportedly carrying explosives, targeted the airport and nearby areas in Tada-U Township on Thursday afternoon.
According to AFP reports, security forces detected the incoming drones and deployed air-defence and counter-drone measures to intercept them. The explosives carried by the drones were also safely neutralised.
There were no reported casualties, and no damage was reported to vehicles or the airport’s runways. Some domestic flights were briefly disrupted following the incident, prompting authorities to close the airport as a precaution.
Myanmar authorities have condemned the attack, saying that targeting civilian transport infrastructure could potentially violate international humanitarian law. Security forces have begun an investigation and are searching for those responsible.
Security sources told AFP that Myanmar’s second-busiest airport would remain closed from Friday, September 11, until September 13. One source said the attack occurred some distance from the airport building, but officials decided to close the facility as a protective measure.
A second security officer at another airport also confirmed that the Mandalay facility would be “closed for maintenance” until Sunday.
The military-backed government has accused pro-democracy rebels, particularly the People’s Defence Forces (PDF), of carrying out the attack. In its statement, the government referred to the airport as a “non-military, public transportation system.”
