BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida flew their own Boeing 737-800 into Hanoi on 14 September, five days after Thailand’s aviation regulator renewed their qualifications to operate the aircraft. Video released by Thailand’s foreign affairs office showed the king, 74, in the captain’s seat, with the queen, 48, serving as first officer, and the aircraft landed at Noi Bai International Airport in heavy rain. The arrival marked the start of a 14-16 September state visit, the first by a Thai king and queen to Vietnam since the countries established diplomatic relations 50 years ago.

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The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand said on 9 September that both royals had passed their periodic proficiency checks, with their Boeing 737-300 to 737-900 type rating, instrument rating and performance-based navigation qualification subsequently renewed. Queen Suthida previously worked as a flight attendant for JALways and Thai Airways, and her official biography says she completed flight courses with the Royal Thai Air Force and Royal Thai Army between 2010 and 2012. She trained on the Cessna T-41, followed by the CT-4E and PC-9, later gaining a commercial pilot licence and Boeing 737 type rating in Germany before receiving a full airline transport pilot licence from Thai authorities.

The queen now flies as first officer on the royal Boeing 737-400 and 737-800, and in August she began Gripen fighter-jet training at Wing 7 in Surat Thani under Royal Thai Air Force instructors in a programme intended to lead to a solo flight. As crown prince, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, also known by his regnal name Rama X, flew the Royal Thai Air Force’s F-5 and F-16 fighter aircraft, later obtaining a commercial pilot licence at Thailand’s Civil Aviation Training Centre. He completed airline transport pilot training at Thai Airways in 2004 and qualified on the Boeing 737-400 the following year, and by May 2009 had accumulated 3,000 hours of commercial flying on that aircraft type.

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The couple have previously flown themselves on state visits, with the king flying the royal Boeing 737-800 into Bhutan’s Paro International Airport with Queen Suthida as first officer in April 2025. Paro is in a Himalayan valley surrounded by steep mountains, and only around 50 pilots worldwide are qualified to land there. The pair also flew themselves to Vientiane for a state visit to Laos on 16 March.

-Thailand News (TN)