Malaysia’s new Islamic airline takes off

Rayani Air Sdn Bhd, Malaysia’s newest airline, has begun operations upon receiving its Air Service Licence (ASL) and Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) from the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA).

On the new airline, female Muslim flight crew must wear a hijab while non-Muslims must be decently dressed, managing director Jaafar Zamhari told reporters.

Apart from providing Halal food, prayers will also be recited before the departure of each flight.

Rayani Air serves only halal meals and alcohol consumption is strictly forbidden.

A passenger, Ahmad Aiman Mohd Razali, 29, said the price offered by the airline was reasonable with full-service which distinguished it from other airlines. Given that the airline industry is quite competitive, this airline is positioning itself as a low-priced carrier and it will be competing with the likes of Malindo and AirAsia. There will also be prayer recitals on the plane before take-off, the Daily Mail said. “We are proud of this”, Jaffar said. The other airlines include Royal Brunei Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Iran Air.

The airline also follows a strict “no-alcohol” policy, and only provides food and beverages that are “halal”, which is permitted under Islamic law.

Now operating with two Boeing 737 jets, the airline hopes to offer regular flights to Mecca for Umrah and Hajj pilgrimages in the next few years.

The airline will initially fly to Langkawi, Kuala Lumpur, Kota Bharu, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. These so-called aviation sukuk could turn out to be a good opportunity for Islamic investors to diversify their portfolios, providing them with the chance to invest a larger amount of capital secured by solid assets such as newly built aircraft. “We will have to see how it (Rayani Air) turns out first, and what its expansion plans are”. This might be a move to attract more tourists to Langkawi.