After 9 years and 11 failed attempts Kugan Tangiisuran, 31 is now able to smile after flying the Airbus A320 to more than 10 destinations around the world with 700 of flight hours under his wing.

The inspirational story of  Kugan who joined Air Asia as an office boy and has become a first officer August last year has moved even the CEO and Director of Air Asia Berhad Tan Sri Tony Fernandes to tears. It is a dream he harboured since he was young while watching planes land and takeoff from relatively close range at the Penang International Airport. reported by CJMY

Hailing from Perai in Penang, Kugan had aspired to become a pilot since he was eight. However, it wasn’t going to be an easy ride. After Kugan finished school, he couldn’t study to become a pilot as the courses were too expensive for his middle-class family.

“I ended up studying in the hospitality management field and worked in various hotels in Penang for several years,” Kugan was quoted as saying my FMT.

The inspirational story of Kugan who joined Air Asia as an office boy and has become a first officer August last year

“Then, one day, a friend who worked with AirAsia told me to join the company. He said it gave opportunities to its staff to move between departments,” said Kugan, following which he applied for a job with the airline and was offered the position of despatch boy.Kugan, who wasn’t put off by the offer, saw the post of an office boy as a stepping stone to his childhood dream to fly and joined AirAsia in 2006.