Operations at Tada-U International Airport, serving Myanmar’s second-largest city Mandalay, remain suspended on Friday (September 11) following a suicide drone attack launched on Thursday afternoon.

Myanmar’s national flag carrier, Myanmar Airways International (MAI), confirmed the suspension of flights through its official channels. A representative from the airline's Bangkok office told Reuters that flight operations to and from Tada-U Airport have been canceled for two consecutive days due to the facility's temporary closure.

According to a report published Friday by the state-run newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar, six First-Person View (FPV) suicide drones were launched toward the airport on Thursday by the People's Defence Force (PDF), a pro-democracy armed coalition opposing the ruling military regime.

The official state account claimed that counter-drone air defense systems intercepted the attack away from the main terminal, resulting in no casualties or structural damage to aircraft, vehicles, or the runway. The report noted that the incident caused minor disruptions to domestic flight schedules.

However, local news outlets and military tracking groups reported that resistance forces targeted a military airbase integrated with the Tada-U facility, alleging that several junta aircraft stationed at the base sustained damage. Security sources cited by news agencies confirmed that the two-day protective shutdown was implemented to secure the airfield and perform maintenance checks.

Myanmar has been gripped by widespread political conflict and civil strife since the military ousted the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021. Despite holding general elections in December 2025 where former military chief General Min Aung Hlaing assumed the presidency, the country continues to face severe instability as fighting between state forces and anti-junta resistance groups persists across major urban and rural zones.