Queen Suthida Pilots Seven-Hour Flight to Japan for Women's Ice Hockey Visit

From Bangkok's cockpit to Sapporo's ice rink

Thailand's Queen Suthida piloted a royal Boeing 737-800 from Bangkok to Japan on October 14, 2026, completing a journey of approximately seven hours just six days after her first solo flight in a Gripen fighter jet. The aircraft departed from Don Mueang Military Airport and arrived at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido at 10:05 a.m. local time.

The Bureau of the Royal Household was cited as confirming her role in flying the aircraft. Thailand's Government Public Relations Department also described the flight and her visit, which ran from October 14 to 22. Images circulated online, bringing attention to an aviation career that includes commercial aircraft qualifications and nearly 1,190 hours of flying.

The purpose of the journey was women's ice hockey. Suthida travelled at the invitation of the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, known as the IIHF, in her role as its first Women's Global Ambassador. Her programme included attending the 2027 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's Asia Championship in Sapporo and presenting medals and trophies to athletes.

The championship carried the year 2027 in its name, while the visit took place in October 2026. The trip brought together two established parts of her public activities: flying royal aircraft and participating in ice hockey as both a player and an advocate.

A royal arrival in Hokkaido

New Chitose Airport, in the city of Chitose, was the arrival point for the visit to Sapporo. Thailand's ambassador to Japan, Witchu Vejjajiva, welcomed the queen, alongside his wife, Kanyarat Vejjajiva, Thai military attachés and embassy officials.

Suthida then drove herself from the airport to the InterContinental Sapporo, where she stayed during the visit. Her arrival placed her in Hokkaido for a programme centred on the women's championship rather than a state visit alongside King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

The Royal Thai Air Force published images of her flying on October 15, the day after her arrival. Its accompanying account described the visit as an opportunity to watch the competition and award medals and trophies at the invitation of the IIHF president.

Details of the other flight crew members and how cockpit duties were shared during the journey were not given. The flight to Japan was described as her personally piloting the royal aircraft; the separate Gripen flight on October 8 was explicitly described as solo.

Why the women's championship mattered to the visit

Suthida became the IIHF's first global ambassador for women's ice hockey in 2023. The invitation to Sapporo recognised that role, giving her responsibilities at an international competition as well as a place among its spectators.

Her scheduled presentation of medals and trophies connected the royal visit directly to the athletes competing in Japan. For the players, those ceremonies marked the conclusion of their competition and the recognition of their results.

Thailand has also been a setting for her involvement in the sport. In October 2023, she took to the ice during the opening of the Thailand International Ice Hockey Arena in Chiang Mai Province. In 2024, she joined Thailand's national team for a friendly match against China in Bangkok.

Her participation therefore extends beyond attending ceremonies. She has appeared on the ice herself, while her ambassador role has taken her to international sporting events, including the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. The Sapporo visit continued that combination of participation and representation.

Six days between a fighter flight and Japan

Suthida's flight to Japan followed her first solo sortie in a Swedish JAS 39C Gripen on October 8. That flight lasted 41 minutes and took place at Wing 7 air base in Surat Thani Province, southern Thailand.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn was present for the occasion. After she landed, he presented her with flowers and attached a gold embroidered Gripen Order Golden Patch to her left sleeve, recognising the solo flight and her admission to the Swedish Gripen Order.

The fighter flight followed a training programme with the Royal Thai Air Force that began in June 2026. It covered 45 academic and emergency procedure subjects, 20 simulator sessions and 10 hours and 13 minutes of supervised flying in a JAS 39D Gripen with two seats.

Practical training took place at Wing 7 between August and October under air force instructors. A simulator allows a pilot to practise cockpit procedures and respond to emergencies in a controlled setting. The Gripen with two seats then allowed an instructor to accompany her during flight training before the solo sortie.

The move from the Gripen to the Boeing 737-800 involved different aircraft and duties. The October 8 flight was a short solo fighter sortie. The October 14 journey involved operating a royal transport aircraft internationally for about seven hours.

The qualifications behind the Boeing flight

Suthida's aviation experience includes more than 1,188 flying hours across several aircraft types, with more than 450 hours in the Boeing 737-800. Those figures put her Boeing experience at roughly two fifths of the stated total.

Her qualifications include commercial pilot licences and a Boeing 737 type rating. A type rating is an additional qualification for operating a particular aircraft type, covering its systems, handling and procedures. It helps explain why experience in small training aircraft and qualifications for a large passenger jet are listed separately.

A royal biography published by Thailand's Government Public Relations Department in 2019 described her duties as a co-pilot on royal Boeing 737-400 and 737-800 aircraft. It also listed a senior commercial pilot licence issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand.

The biography detailed training on Cessna T-41, CT-4E and PC-9 aircraft, followed by further study in Germany. Her German training included private and commercial flying qualifications and a type rating covering the Boeing 737 series from the 300 to the 900 variants.

The published chronology contains a discrepancy: a later account citing the Bureau of the Royal Household dates her initial Cessna T-41D flight to May 13, 2010, while the 2019 government biography lists completion of a Cessna T-41 course on December 8, 2000. Both descriptions place substantial aviation training before she became queen in 2019.

Earlier journeys alongside the king

Suthida has previously served as co-pilot to King Maha Vajiralongkorn on official overseas journeys. In April 2025, the king piloted the royal aircraft to Bhutan and back, with the queen as co-pilot on both flights.

The Bhutan journey included an arrival at Paro International Airport, known for its challenging approach. That trip forms part of her experience operating royal aircraft on international routes alongside the king.

The same cockpit arrangement was used during the royal couple's state visit to Vietnam in September 2026. The king served as captain and Suthida as first officer on the flight to Hanoi. First officer is the formal title commonly used for a co-pilot, who shares flight duties under the captain's command.

Her professional connection with aviation began in the passenger cabin. Before entering royal service, she worked as a flight attendant, first for Japan Airlines from 2000 to 2003 and then for Thai Airways International until 2008. She graduated from Assumption University in Bangkok with a degree in communication arts.

She later entered royal security service and rose to the rank of general. She married the king on May 1, 2019, and received her full royal title, Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana, on May 4.

The October flights in order

The sequence of flights explains why the Japan journey attracted attention. Within two weeks, Suthida completed her first solo Gripen flight, flew to Hokkaido for the ice hockey visit and piloted the return journey to Thailand.

• October 8, 2026: She completed a solo flight lasting 41 minutes in a JAS 39C Gripen at Wing 7 in Surat Thani.
• October 14: She piloted a royal Boeing 737-800 from Don Mueang Military Airport to New Chitose Airport, arriving at 10:05 a.m. local time after approximately seven hours.
• October 15: The Royal Thai Air Force published images of her flying during the visit to Japan.
• October 14 to 22: Her Japan programme centred on the 2027 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's Asia Championship in Sapporo.
• October 22: She piloted the return flight to Thailand, a journey lasting approximately eight hours.

The outward and return flights together amounted to approximately 15 hours. The return journey was about an hour longer than the flight to Japan. Those durations describe the two journeys, with her accumulated flying experience recorded separately.

A sporting role beyond the cockpit

Ice hockey is one of several sports in which Suthida has participated publicly. In December 2025, she helped Thailand win a sailing gold medal at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, held in Thailand.

She competed in the mixed keelboat SSL47 event off Pattaya, serving as navigator and strategist aboard a vessel measuring 14 metres with nine other crew members. Her role involved helping the crew choose its course and plan its race.

Running has also featured in her sporting activities. In December 2024, she joined Kenyan marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge for the final 10 kilometres of the Amazing Thailand Marathon Bangkok. A year later, she completed a half marathon in Bangkok alongside him in two hours, 13 minutes and 40 seconds.

The Japan visit had a more specific purpose: supporting women's ice hockey through her IIHF appointment and taking part in the championship's award ceremonies. Her arrival at the controls of the royal aircraft drew attention to that visit while adding another international journey to her aviation record.

Key Points

• Queen Suthida piloted a royal Boeing 737-800 from Bangkok to Hokkaido on October 14, 2026, on a flight lasting approximately seven hours.
• The aircraft landed at New Chitose Airport at 10:05 a.m. local time.
• Her October 14 to 22 visit centred on the 2027 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's Asia Championship in Sapporo.
• She attended as the IIHF's first Women's Global Ambassador, with duties including presenting medals and trophies.
• The journey followed her first solo Gripen flight on October 8, after training with the Royal Thai Air Force.
• Her recorded experience included more than 1,188 flying hours, including more than 450 in the Boeing 737-800.
• She also piloted the return flight to Thailand on October 22, taking approximately eight hours.