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. 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.

Boeing ratings renewed.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand said on 9 September that both royals had passed their periodic proficiency checks.

Their Boeing 737-300 to 737-900 type rating, instrument rating and performance-based navigation qualification were subsequently renewed.

Queen's route from cabin crew to cockpit.

Queen Suthida previously worked as a flight attendant for JALways and Thai Airways. 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. She later gained 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. In August, she began Gripen fighter-jet training at Wing 7 in Surat Thani, The Nation reported, under Royal Thai Air Force instructors in a programme intended to lead to a solo flight.

The king's long flying record.

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. He later obtained a commercial pilot licence at Thailand's Civil Aviation Training Center, according to the Bangkok Post.

He completed airline transport pilot training at Thai Airways in 2004 and qualified on the Boeing 737-400 the following year. By May 2009, he had accumulated 3,000 hours of commercial flying on that aircraft type, the newspaper reported.

The couple have previously flown themselves on state visits. In April 2025, the king flew the royal Boeing 737-800 into Bhutan's Paro International Airport with Queen Suthida as first officer.

Paro is in a Himalayan valley surrounded by steep mountains, and the Bangkok Post reported that 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.

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20 September 2026

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So he's 1 of only 50 or so pilots in the world qualified to land there - must be an amazing pilot!

To have your pilot license renewal do you you have to do x? amount of hours in the air or what? Just curious

30 minutes ago, phil2407 said:

So he's 1 of only 50 or so pilots in the world qualified to land there - must be an amazing pilot!

To have your pilot license renewal do you you have to do x? amount of hours in the air or what? Just curious

It’s one out of 50 who can land at a specific airport.

In the US, the airman certificate never expires. You need to maintain a medical certificate and fight reviews to legally pilot an aircraft