Rayani Air to take to the skies again, says CEO

Troubled shariah-compliant airline is making a comeback, says CEO Ravi Alagendrran, with investors only waiting on approval from aviation authorities.

PETALING JAYA: Rayani Air is set to make a comeback, alluded its owner and CEO Ravi Alagendrran in a Facebook posting.

“We are coming back soon,” he wrote about the airline which was launched at the end of last year, but soon ran aground after facing financial difficulties.

In a separate lengthy post, Ravi said his team was working hard, in the hope of getting the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) to “give Rayani Air a second chance to operate”.

”With this second chance, only then will the investors take over the ownership of the company with a better management team.”

There was no set date for Rayani Air’s return, Ravi said and he maintained that the airline’s priority was its obligation towards customers.

“We hope the people will be patient and not come to our office because it is closed at the moment.

“We will make another announcement once we have positive news.”

Last month, Mavcom revoked Rayani Air’s licence after it had breached the conditions of its Air Service Licence (ASL) and lacked the financial and management capacity to continue operating as a commercial airline.

Mavcom is responsible for regulating all economic and commercial matters related to civil aviation in Malaysia.

In the posting, Ravi apologised to Rayani Air’s customers for not being able to refund flight tickets, saying it was due to the revocation of its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) and ASL when they were finalising deals with potential investors.

“When these licences were revoked, no investors would want to work with us.

“Investors that had given financial commitment had suddenly pulled out and we didn’t expect that.”

Rayani Air was launched in December 2015 with two Boeing 737-400s. Its selling factor was its so-called adherence to Islamic law.

The carrier’s licence to operate, however, was suspended in April after increasing criticisms due to last-minute delays and flight cancellations as its pilots launched a strike for their unpaid salaries.