Banmaw Airport guide

Banmaw Airport, also called Bhamo Airport (ICAO: VYBM), serves the town of Bhamo in Kachin State, northern Myanmar. It sits on the edge of town, roughly 115 metres above sea level, close to the Irrawaddy River and the road routes towards the Chinese border.

The airfield began as a Japanese Air Force base in 1942. Allied forces attacked it repeatedly and seized it in May 1945. The U.S. Tenth Air Force then used it for combat resupply and casualty evacuation until it closed at the end of September 1945. It later returned to use as a public airport run by the Myanmar government.

The single bitumen runway, 15/33, measures 1,677 metres by 31 metres. That length suits turboprops and small jets rather than wide-body aircraft. Myanmar National Airlines has been the listed scheduled carrier, with a service to Mandalay, although flights on that route are shown as cancelled and no scheduled flights are currently confirmed.

On 26 January 2025 the Kachin Independence Army and the People's Defence Force captured the airport during fighting around Bhamo. Residents said it had not been used for civilian purposes since the battle for the town began on 4 December 2024. Anyone planning to travel here should check current conditions first.