TOKYO/BANGKOK: Thailand’s Queen Suthida took the controls of a royal Boeing 737 to fly herself and her delegation back to Bangkok following an eight-day visit to Japan.
The 48-year-old queen concluded her trip on Oct. 22 after carrying out engagements in her role as Global Ambassador of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), according to Thai media.
During her stay in Sapporo, Hokkaido, she attended events promoting women’s ice hockey, met athletes and presented awards at the 2027 IIHF Women’s Asia Championship.
Following her engagements, Queen Suthida traveled with her entourage to an airport in Hokkaido, where she took command of the royal Boeing 737 for the return journey.
Serving as captain, she piloted the aircraft on the eight-hour flight to Bangkok, landing at Don Mueang Military Airport.
The queen had also flown the delegation to Japan on Oct. 14. Upon arrival, airport officials were reportedly surprised to see her emerge from the cockpit before driving herself to her hotel in Sapporo.
Before joining the Thai royal family, Queen Suthida worked as a flight attendant for Thai Airways. She holds an airline transport pilot license (ATPL) and has logged more than 1,180 flight hours.
Earlier in October, she also completed a training flight aboard a Royal Thai Air Force JAS 39C Gripen fighter jet. — VnExpress/Vietnam News
