Father surprises his soldier son in touching reunion on board flight

A US soldier returning from deployment had a surprise reunion with his father on board a flight home to Virginia from Kuwait.

Captain Mario Lopes, a United Airlines pilot, hatched the plan when he found out his son was due to return home on April 14 on a United Airlines flight, ABC News US reports.

He wasn’t certain his son would be on the military flight, but he took his chances regardless.

“No one could confirm or deny if he would actually be a passenger on my aircraft, but I knew had to take the chance and find out,” he said.

He surprised his son during the flight, strolling out onto the aisle and asking him what he was doing there.

“We immediately embraced for quite some time after he realised it was me,” he said.

He said it was the “most memorable flight in my 27 years with United”.

Mr Lopes has since uploaded the poignant reunion on YouTube where it has been viewed hundreds of times.