The flight was short but groundbreaking. Pannathorn “Bam” Tangrungruangchai became the first female pilot to serve on a THAI Airways passenger jet, acting as First Officer on a two-hour flight from Bangkok to Hanoi, Vietnam.

Bam’s journey to the cockpit of the Kingdom’s national carrier has inspired women across Thailand and encouraged them to pursue their ambitions. She is the first woman to achieve this distinction in the airline’s 66-year history.

“The achievement reflects THAI Airways’ commitment to promoting diversity, equality and opportunities for talented personnel to grow in aviation careers,” THAI Corporate Communications said, adding that it hoped the appointment would encourage more women to pursue careers in commercial aviation.

Flight TG564 was not Bam’s first assignment as a First Officer aboard an Airbus A320-200. Before joining THAI Airways, she served in the same role for four years with a regional airline.

Khaosod newspaper reported that while this milestone was a first for THAI Airways, women have served as captains and first officers at other Thai and international airlines for many years.

Nonetheless, the newspaper noted that “women remain significantly underrepresented in airline cockpits worldwide.” According to industry data from Women in Aviation International, women are accounted for approximately 5.5 percent of airline transport pilots in the United States in 2024 while global estimates place the share of female airline pilots at around 6 percent.

Bam graduated from the Aeronautical Engineering and Commercial Pilot Program at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, one of Thailand’s leading higher-education institutions, before completing her flight training at Asia Aviation Academy.