{
  "id": 9959814,
  "title": "'Fly faster': AirAsia pilot beats drone delay, unaware of passenger's desperate viral plea",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/fly-faster-airasia-pilot-beats-drone-delay-unaware-of-passengers",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-26T09:52:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2026/09/1541648/fly-faster-airasia-pilot-beats-drone-delay-unaware-passengers-desperate"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia pilot Eric Koh Yew Weng, 37, unknowingly assisted a passenger's desperate wish to meet her ailing grandmother in time for a funeral. On Tuesday morning, a woman on social media requested the pilot to speed up the flight AK5135 from Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur so her sister could attend the burial. Eric only learned about the plea after returning to Kota Kinabalu. The flight initially faced potential delays due to runway disruptions caused by drone activity at Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Despite the challenges, the flight departed promptly, allowing the passenger to arrive on schedule. Eric, a 10-year veteran pilot, called the coincidence a touching experience, noting that he was simply fulfilling his responsibilities.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: An AirAsia pilot unknowingly helped fulfil a passenger’s desperate hope that her sister would make it back in time to bid their late grandmother a final farewell.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}