In the latest twist to the MH370 saga, reports have emerged in the Australian media casting aspersions on the conduct of co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid.

Complete with photographs, Sydney-based Nine Network reported that Fariq and his colleague broke MAS rules by inviting a passenger and her friend into the cockpit of a flight three years ago.

It added that the 27-year-old pilot smoked, took photos and entertained Jonti Roos and Jaan Maree during the one-hour flight from Phuket to Kuala Lumpur.

Roos, who is travelling around Australia, told the TV station's A Current Affair programme that she and Maree posed for pictures with the pilots.

"Throughout the entire flight they were talking to us and they were actually smoking throughout the flight which I don’t think they’re allowed to do," she said.

"At one stage they were pretty much turned around the whole time in their seats talking to us.

"They were so engaged in conversation that he took my friend’s hand and he was looking at her palm and said ‘your hand is very creased. That means you’re a very creative person’ and commented on her nail polish," she added.

The report said that Fariq identified the South African natives as the pair waited in the boarding queue at Phuket airport in December 2011.

On the plane, the two were approached by an air steward, who invited them to join the pilots in the cockpit.

"I did feel safe. I don’t think there was one instance where I felt threatened or I felt that they didn’t know what they were doing.

Pilot knew Boeing 777 extremely well

"The whole time I felt they were very friendly. I felt they were very competent in what they were doing.

"We wished they (would) stop smoking because it is such a confined space. But you can’t exactly tell a pilot to stop smoking," Roos said.

She also claimed that the pilots wanted Maree and her to change their travel arrangements and extend their stay in Kuala Lumpur and join them on a night on the town.

Roos also said she was shocked to learn that Fariq was at the helm of the Boeing 777 which has been missing since Saturday morning.

"I thought it was crazy. I was just completely shocked. I couldn't believe it.

"When I saw all his friends and family posting on his wall my heart really broke for them and my heart broke for the family of the passengers. It’s just a really sad story,” she said.

Previously, the pilot of MH370, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53, was described as being obsessed with aviation, to the point of setting up a flight simulator in his home.

Airline staff who worked with the pilot said Zaharie knew the ins and outs of the Boeing 777 extremely well, as he was always practicing with the simulator.

"He was an aviation tech geek. You could ask him anything and he would help you. That is the kind of guy he is," said a co-pilot who had flown with Zaharie in the past.

In a press release late this evening, Malaysian Airlines said it took the allegations against first officer Fariq "very seriously".
 
"We are shocked by these allegations," read the release.

Malaysian Airlines added it was unable to confirm the news report that the co-pilot had breached the company's rules.