Malaysia's first syariah-compliant airline takes off

The full-service Rayani Air's Muslim crew are required to wear the hijab, or headscarf. PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

SEPANG - Malaysia's first syariah-compliant airline, Rayani Air, launched its maiden flight on Sunday (Dec 20), state news agency Bernama reported.

Flight RN0600 took off at 10am from the KL International Airport 2 (KLIA) in Sepang for Langkawi with 150 passengers on board, the report quoted the airline's managing director Jaafar Zamhari as saying.

The passengers included 18 orphans from the Taufik Islami Institute in Klang, Selangor, as well as journalists.

Jaafar said he was "satisfied" with the flight operations despite a delay in passenger check-in.

"So far, I am satisfied with the performance of the crew. They are trained personnel and some of them have the experience in the aviation industry," he told Bernama before the Boeing 737-400 took off.

"I hope everything goes well."

According to The Star, the full-service Rayani Air's Muslim crew are required to wear the hijab, or headscarf.

Food and beverages served are halal-certified and include no alcohol.

Islamic recitals are performed before every flight.

Rayani Air is a collaboration between an oil and gas company, Merdeka Jayabumi Enterprise and mining company, Terus Maju Metal. It received an air service licence and air operator certificate from the Department of Civil Aviation on Friday.

For now, the airline serves five destinations in Malaysia: KLIA2, Langkawi, Kota Baru, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, reported The Star.

It plans to expand its services to South-east Asia, China, Australia as well as the Middle East.

One of the passengers on the maiden flight, Ahmad Aiman Mohd Razali, 29, said the fares offered by the airline was very reasonable compared with those of other full-service airlines.

"So far, I am satisfied with the service," he told Bernama.

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