BANGKOK - THE last UN aid flight taking supplies to Myanmar's cyclone-ravaged Irrawaddy Delta has taken off from its base in Thailand, the World Food Programme (WFP) said in a statement on Friday.

Bangkok's Don Mueang airport has been used as a staging post for aid supplies since May 24, three weeks after Cyclone Nargis hit leaving 138,000 Myanmar people dead or missing and a further 2.4 million in desperate need of aid.

The WFP, which is responsible for logistics in humanitarian emergencies, said it has organised 232 relief flights to Myanmar over the last three months.

'For WFP and the wider UN and NGO community, the air hub was critical for the provision of vital relief supplies to the people of Myanmar,' said Mr Tony Banbury, regional director for WFP.

The closing of the airbridge at Don Mueang will also signal the closure of a 20,000 square metre warehouse at the site, which was used to store aid cargo.

Nearly 4,000 tonnes of cargo were delivered from the airport to Myanmar including shelter material, medical supplies, mosquito nets and water purification equipment, the agency said.

International aid agencies relying on the hub will now have to find alternative methods of delivery to the delta.

The WFP had chartered 10 helicopters to ferry the aid from the airport in Yangon to the delta. Two remain in operation. -- AFP