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Fariq Abdul Hamid Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth1 April 1986

Age27 Years (at time of disappearance)

BirthplaceKelantan, Malaysia

ProfessionPilot

NationalityMalaysian

Marital statusUnmarried

FamilyFather worked as a civil servant in Selangor, Malaysia

Fariq Abdul Hamid Biography

Fariq Abdul Hamid was a Malaysian commercial pilot who served with Malaysia Airlines from 2007 until his disappearance aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

Early life and background
Fariq Abdul Hamid was born on 1 April 1986 in Kelantan, Malaysia. He grew up in Malaysia and attended school in Segamat, Johor, before studying at MARA Junior Science College (MJSC) in Taiping. He later pursued professional flight training at a flying training centre in Langkawi as he prepared for a career in commercial aviation.

Career
Fariq began his professional career in civil aviation when he joined Malaysia Airlines as a cadet pilot on 23 July 2007. Over the following years he progressed through the airline’s training and operational ranks. His early flying postings included service on the Boeing 737-400, where he completed his type-rating training and served as Second Officer until May 2010.

In May 2010 he was promoted to First Officer. He continued to operate as First Officer on the 737-400 until August 2012, after which he was assigned to the Airbus A330-300 fleet. Across his service with Malaysia Airlines, his logged flying experience totaled 2,813 hours and 42 minutes.

MH370 and timeline
On the night of 7–8 March 2014, Fariq Abdul Hamid was the First Officer on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a scheduled international passenger service from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. He signed in for duty shortly after 23:00 on 7 March, alongside Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah.

Following pushback and departure from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the flight climbed to cruising altitude and remained in routine contact with air traffic control through the early hours of 8 March. Voice contact with the flight’s crew was lost after the aircraft passed waypoint IGARI, and radar and communications data show a sequence of events in which the aircraft’s transponder and some communications systems stopped transmitting while the aircraft deviated from its filed route.

Malaysia Airlines’ records and subsequent investigations catalog a detailed timeline of transmissions and automated satellite communications exchanges through the morning. The aircraft’s satellite communications link continued to exchange hourly automated handshakes with ground systems for some hours after radar contact was lost. The final automated exchanges were recorded before the aircraft ceased responding. The government of Malaysia later declared all passengers and crew of Flight 370, including Fariq Abdul Hamid, presumed dead on 29 January 2015. The precise location of the aircraft and its occupants has not been established.

Public profile
Fariq’s personal details listed in public records include his nationality as Malaysian and his religion as Islam. At the time of the disappearance he was 27 years old. He is described as unmarried. Physical descriptions noted in available records list his height at approximately 173 cm (about 5 feet 8 inches) with black hair and black eyes.

Personal life
Reports indicate Fariq had a long-term relationship with Nadira Ramli, whom he met while training. He was the son of a father who worked as a civil servant in the Malaysian state of Selangor. Beyond those family and relationship details, available public information is limited.

Controversy
A 2011 allegation from a passenger described an incident in which Fariq and a colleague invited two female passengers into the cockpit during a short flight and smoked during the flight. The passenger provided an account of the encounter; that allegation has been part of public reporting about Fariq in the years that followed.

Latest updates
The government of Malaysia’s declaration in January 2015 that all aboard MH370 were presumed dead remains the formal status. Investigations and published timelines continue to be the basis for public understanding of the flight’s final hours, while the exact fate and final location of Flight 370 and its occupants have not been determined.
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Recent Work

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (First Officer)

Served as First Officer on the ill-fated scheduled flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on 8 March 2014.

2014
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Career Highlights

  1. Joined Malaysia Airlines as a cadet pilot on 23 July 2007
  2. Promoted to First Officer in May 2010
  3. Logged 2,813 hours and 42 minutes of flight time
  4. First Officer aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (8 March 2014)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Fariq Abdul Hamid born?

1 April 1986

What is Fariq Abdul Hamid known for?

Pilot

What is Fariq Abdul Hamid’s marital status?

Unmarried