Thai King flies own jet to Vietnam for state visit, Queen serves as co-pilot

Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 74, departed for a state visit to Vietnam on Monday afternoon, piloting the royal aircraft himself with Queen Suthida serving as co-pilot.

A video posted by the Thai government's foreign affairs office showed the king in the captain's seat and the queen in the co-pilot's seat. The plane landed safely in Hanoi amid heavy rain, with the two working in tandem in adverse weather. The aircraft was a Boeing 737-800 royal jet.

The king, a career military officer who graduated from a military academy and served in the Royal Thai Armed Forces, holds certifications for the Northrop F-5, F-16 and Boeing 737-400. He previously served as an F-5E/F instructor pilot in 1994 and personally flew a charity flight in 2012.

Queen Suthida, 48, was previously a flight attendant with Thai Airways and JALways before joining the royal military in 2010. She holds qualifications to fly large passenger aircraft and is currently training for solo flights in supersonic fighter jets.

This is the first state visit by a Thai king and queen to Vietnam since diplomatic relations were established in 1976, with Thai Prime Minister Anutin among the delegation.

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