King and Queen of Thailand take off from Bhutan in Boeing 737 that they fly themselves as pilot and co-pilot
Published on Aug 22, 2025 at 6:39 AM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Aug 22, 2025 at 6:39 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
The King and Queen of Thailand took off from Bhutan in a Boeing 737… which they fly themselves.
Believe it or not, both the king and the queen are qualified pilots.
This is definitely unusual.
And, for a very good reason, it’s also something very few heads of state can do.
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How the King and Queen of Thailand fly their Boeing 737
When the King and Queen of Thailand left Bhutan after an official visit, people were quick to note that they weren’t simply boarding their plane as passengers.
Amazingly, the King flies the plane, and the Queen is his co-pilot.
This is not unheard of -the Dutch King is also a qualified pilot and flies his own plane – but it is definitely uncommon.
And the Boeing 737 isn’t a particularly easy plane to fly.
In order to get the license required to fly the Boeing 737 the way the King did, you need at least 1,500 hours of training.
Even though, to be fair, the King’s military background as an officer in the Royal Thai Army definitely helped.
The reason why most royals and heads of state would never do this – even if they wanted to
Several celebrities can fly their own planes.
John Travolta, for example, famously holds at least eight licenses to fly his aircraft.
Tom Cruise is also a qualified pilot.
But it’s not every day you learn about actual royals or heads of state who do that.
Partly because some heads of state would probably not even be allowed to do that for security reasons.
For instance, the US president would never be allowed to fly his own plane.
US presidents can’t even drive their own cars, let alone pilot an airplane.
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
