This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on January 4, 2016.
KUALA LUMPUR: Eager to expand as Malaysia’s first syariah-compliant airline, Rayani Air intends to appoint PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Dr Haron Din as its adviser as soon as possible.
If the veteran Islamist party leader agrees to come on board, he will advise the new airline on how to implement its syariah-compliant concept, said Rayani Air managing director Jaafar Zamhari.
“Our plan is that once Datuk Dr Haron Din has had enough rest, we will meet him to appoint him as our adviser,” Jaafar told The Malaysian Insider in an exclusive interview.
“He will advise us on things like how to put this syariah-compliant concept into practice, and this encompasses all aspects,” he said.
Jaafar, who is former deputy director of the Department of Civil Aviation, admitted that realising the syariah-compliant concept was difficult, because no such certification or guidelines existed in the aviation industry.
But he said Rayani Air wanted to change this and would be working with Royal Brunei Airlines to promote the concept in the industry.
Rayani Air launched its maiden flight from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi on Dec 20, 2015. While it touts itself as Malaysia’s first syariah-compliant airline, Rayani Air is not the first Islamic-oriented carrier in the world: Royal Brunei Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Iran Air have long provided similar services.
For Rayani Air, being syariah-compliant so far means Muslim female cabin crew must wear the tudung, only halal food and drinks are provided to passengers, alcohol is prohibited, and a prayer is recited before take-off. It has 355 employees, eight pilots and 50 cabin crew.
The name Rayani Air is a combination of the airline’s owners’ names: husband Ravi Alegandrran Sinniah and wife Karthiyani Govindan.
Since its maiden flight, Rayani Air has made headlines across the world and received mixed reactions over its syariah concept.
Jaafar rubbished claims that Rayani Air was hawking Islam to make a profit, saying that the airline was set up because there was consumer demand for it. “For example, the owners of beverage company Yeo’s are Chinese, [but] they got themselves a halal certificate. So are they considered selling off the religion’s dignity? I don’t think so. Many Muslims would want halal beverages. It’s about widening your market.”
Some critics have also accused Rayani Air of not being “halal enough”, but Jaafar said no guidelines currently existed to define a syariah-compliant airline.
“The closest we’ve got is the halal certificate. Sorry to say this, but some Muslims love to talk about complying with the syariah, but they don’t do anything about it. Now we are actually doing something.”
In response to Rayani Air’s plans to appoint him its adviser, Haron said: “I have not received anything, so I can’t comment. Otherwise, people will say I’m presumptuous. Let them offer first and after that I will comment, God willing.”
Jaafar was unperturbed by the criticism, saying that “seeing is believing” and sceptics would be won over once they experience the flight services for themselves.
Rayani Air so far has received encouraging response from its passengers, including non-Muslims, he said.
“We won’t deny that there are some who are sceptical about this concept and are too afraid to try us out. But Rayani Air is open to all races. For example, we’ve received lots of questions on whether or not Muslims in short pants will be allowed to go on Rayani Air. I tell them, of course, they can.
“In Islam, when visitors come to our home, it is our responsibility as hosts to welcome them. The same principle applies to this airline.”
He said it wasn’t just Malaysians who had reservations about Rayani Air. Overseas, the airline had to contend with it being linked to militant group Islamic State.
But Jaafar said this stemmed from lack of understanding, and the company took it as a challenge to increase awareness of the concept.
He said Rayani Air’s entry into the aviation industry had created more competition.
“We respect the existing airlines. We are here to provide consumers with more options and a different kind of service. The service we provide is based on being syariah-compliant. It is the core of our business. And it is up to Malaysians to decide whether they want to use our services or not.”
Jaafar said Rayani Air, which has begun flying to Langkawi and Kota Baru, would spread its wings to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching next month.
“God willing, by March we will have a third plane, increase our frequency and domestic flight destinations. Once we get our fourth airplane, we will begin flying to neighbouring cities and countries, such as Jakarta, Phuket, Manila and India. That’s our plan for the next one to two years.
“After our second year, we will use a bigger airplane to provide international flights, including for those who wish to perform their umrah.” — The Malaysian Insider