King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida of Thailand piloted their own plane to and from their state visit to Bhutan. There was a pilot from Bhutan’s national airline, Drukair, in the cockpit to assist if necessary.
The King acted as pilot while the Queen took on the role of co-pilot. King Vajiralongkorn is a military pilot qualified to fly the Northrop F-5, F-16, and the Boeing 737-400. Queen Suthida is a former flight attendant for JALways and Thai Airways International, and she then joined the Thai military.
Paro Airport is considered one of the most difficult airports to land, and the King extensively prepared. The Thai Ambassador said, “His Majesty trained with a simulator for three days and conducted simulation landings for another two days at a military airport in Lop Buri.”
Photo: Royal Court of Bhutan
King Vajiralongkorn even apologised for the delay in coming down to greet the King and Queen of Bhutan, saying over the radio, “Sorry, King of Bhutan, I just need a few minutes to run through some checklists and change, and then I’ll come say hi.”
It was King Vajiralongkorn’s first state visit since becoming King in 2016.
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