Rayani Air wants PAS leader Haron Din on board, says MD

Eager to expand as Malaysia’s first shariah-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 shariah-compliant concept, says 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 shariah-compliant concept into practice, and this encompasses all aspects.” Jaafar, who is former deputy director of the Department of Civil Aviation, admitted that realising the shariah-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 December 20. While it touts itself as Malaysia’s first shariah-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 shariah-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 members. 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 shariah concept. But 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, 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 being a fraud or not being “halal enough”, but Jaafar said no guidelines currently existed to define a shariah-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 shariah, 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 he did not receive any such invitation. “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,” Haron said. ‘Seeing is believing’ Jaafar was unperturbed by the criticism thrown its way, saying that “seeing is believing” and sceptics would be won over once they experienced 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, abroad, the airline had to contend with being linked to militant group Islamic State (Isis). But Jaafar said this stemmed from lack of understanding, and the company took it as a challenge to spread more awareness on the concept. Competition good for consumers He said Rayani Air’s entry into the aviation industry has created more competition, which ultimately benefited consumers as airlines jostled with one another to provide more attractive prices and services. “We in Rayani Air 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 shariah-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 already begun flying to Langkawi and Kota Baru, would soon 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.” – January 3, 2016.