Pilot Koh Yew Weng thought he was simply starting another routine flight when he took off from Kota Kinabalu International Airport at 6am on Tuesday.
What he did not know was that the flight would become part of an emotional coincidence that allowed a grieving family member to say one final goodbye to her grandmother.
Pilot had no idea about family’s plea
Koh, 37, who is also known as Eric, was the captain of Flight AK5135 from Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur.
Before the flight departed, a woman had taken to social media to make a heartfelt plea, hoping the aircraft would arrive on time so her sister could make it back for their grandmother’s funeral before the burial.
However, Eric had no idea about the post while operating the flight.
Speaking after the incident, he said he only came across the woman’s plea after returning to Kota Kinabalu later that day.
I never expected a coincidence like this to happen. I did not know about the post when we took off.
“I only saw it after landing back in Kota Kinabalu,” he said.
Sister managed to say goodbye
Earlier, Threads user @mierazatie had posted a plea addressed to the captain of Flight AK5135, hoping the flight would arrive on time.
She explained that her sister was rushing back so she could see their grandmother before the burial.
Hours later, Eric came across the post and replied, revealing that he had been the captain operating the flight.
Thankfully, the woman later shared that her sister had made it in time and managed to kiss their grandmother one last time.
After learning about what happened, Eric said he was grateful that everything had worked out for the family.
I have been a pilot for 10 years, and I’ve experienced a lot of things, but this stands out as a touching coincidence.
“When we were flying the aircraft, we had no idea someone was desperately hoping the flight would not be delayed,” he said.
Flight was initially at risk of being delayed
The flight had initially faced the possibility of a delay after heavy rain and drone activity disrupted runway operations at Kota Kinabalu International Airport that morning.
Eric said he and his co-pilot were expecting a longer wait, but they were eventually able to push back earlier despite the weather.
That earlier departure helped the passenger reach Kuala Lumpur in time.
For Eric, it was simply another day at work.
But for one grieving family, that flight became part of a final goodbye they would never forget.ed up becoming a small but meaningful part of one family’s final farewell.
