Thai Airways marked a first in its 66-year history when a female pilot operated a commercial flight for the national carrier on 1 June. Founded in 1960, the national carrier had employed only male pilots throughout its commercial operations until this historic flight.
Pannathorn Tangrungruangchai, known as “Bam,” served as the airline’s first female First Officer on flight TG564 from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport to Hanoi aboard an Airbus A320-200.
“The role of the first female pilot of the airline is expected to inspire a new generation, especially women who dream of careers in aviation, to step into the profession confidently,” said THAI which also described the appointment as a reflection of the airline’s evolving workforce.
Pannathorn graduated from the Aeronautical Engineering and Commercial Pilot Programme at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology before completing commercial flight training at Asia Aviation Academy, one of the country’s specialist aviation training institutions. Thereafter, she entered commercial airline operations and spent more than four years serving as an Airbus A320 First Officer with another leading airline.
THAI lagging behind competitors in employing female pilots
Thai Airways has lagged behind several domestic competitors in opening cockpit roles to women. Thai AirAsia, Thai Lion Air and Nok Air have all employed female pilots for years. Captain Suwapich became the first female A330 pilot in Thailand for Thai AirAsia X in 2024.
This historic THAI flight therefore brought the flag carrier in line with a practice already established elsewhere in Thailand’s aviation industry.
Female pilots remain under-represented in airlines worldwide
Women remain significantly underrepresented in airline cockpits worldwide. Industry data from Women in Aviation International shows women accounted for approximately 5.5% of airline transport pilots in the United States in 2024, while international estimates place the global share of female airline pilots at around 6%.
India leads the world with around 15% of its pilot workforce being female. Zoya Agarwal was among the female pilots to join Air India in 2004. In 2021, Captain Agarwal led an all-woman crew to operate the inaugural flight from San Francisco to Bengaluru, one of the longest non-stop air routes in the world.
Other countries with higher-than-average rates include Ireland (9.9%), South Africa (9.8%), and Australia (7.5%), Canada (7.0%) and Germany (6.9%).
The European average hovers around 7%. Airlines like easyJet have pushed their numbers up to 7.5% through targeted recruitment initiative. The UK’s average is 6.5%.
International Women’s Day should not be the only reason for an all-female crew
Qantas and Jetstar celebrated International Women’s Day with all-female crew on 22 flights in March this year.
Air New Zealand also marked the event with a historic all-female flight from Auckland to Queenstown in March 2026.
In March 2024, Biman Bangladesh Airlines celebrated the event by operating an international flight from Dhaka for Dammam in Saudi Arabia, staffed entirely by women for the first time in its history.
However, airlines should not wait till International Women’s Day. Airlines just to have an all-female crew. They should do it more often – and get the recruitment drive going for more female pilots.
Malaysia Airlines successfully operated a domestic flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, East Malaysia in September 2025 with an all-female team: from pilots and cabin crew to check-in and ground handling teams, to engineering and security.
Photo credit
Main photo: Khao Sod English
Photo of Captain Zoya: Wikimedia
Photo on International Women’s Day: Qantas
