The heiress to the Spanish throne took off in a Pilatus C-21 aircraft unaccompanied by an instructor after four months of intensive training at Academia de San Javier
Madrid
Monday, 22 December 2025, 15:34
The Princess of Asturias in Spain has started flying solo. Four months after joining the Academia General del Aire y del Espacio de San Javier (Murcia) as an ensign and after intensive training, Leonor de Borbón made her first solo flight on Thursday.
In the photos shared by the Royal household, the heiress to the Crown can be seen on board the Pilatus C-21 - the aircraft that will replace the Casa C-101, on which she has been training to "improve her knowledge of the organisation and structure of the air and space army".
In order to fly solo, Princess Leonor has completed the theoretical training, simulator and real flight sessions, established to achieve the necessary skills that allowed her to perform the solo flight safely.
Princess Leonor at the controls of a simulator. Casa RealAlong with these photos, the Zarzuela palace has also shared a selection of snapshots in which the firstborn child of King Felipe VI can be seen preparing before the flight - signing the plane's log book and performing the meticulous pre-flight check. The photos reflect Leonor's discipline and concentration before she completes a new milestone in her military training.
Zoom The Princess of Asturias made her first solo flight at the Academia General del Aire y del Espacio de San Javier (Murcia). Casa Real