Rayani Air on a wing and a prayer?

With the world becoming a smaller place by the day, many nowadays find solace in
clinging on to an identity that they feel defines them - and the glory of the modern age
means that they have a bit more say in the matter than before.

As such, there has been a push for more goods and services that more closely adhere
to Islamic standards. Particularly in Malaysia, it has led to an increased drive towards
more halal compliance and certification for not just for the finished products, but for
the whole production processes inclusive, where we see the call for segregation of
halal-goods trolleys, as well as KTM offering the world's first halal train service.

More such efforts were to take flight - literally, in the case of Rayani Air, owned by oil
and gas firm, Merdeka Jayabumi Enterprise and mining company, Terus Maju Metal,
which billed itself as Malaysia’s first syariah-compliant airline. Launched last
December, it offers domestic flights to five cities using an antiquated pair of planes,
with its key selling point being that it observes religious practices. It is compulsory for
Muslim women cabin crew to wear hijab and for non-Muslim staff to wear a decent
uniform. The airline also only serves halal food, doesn’t offer alcohol and pork and
recites prayers before the departure of each flight.

However, not even that sanctified start was enough, and the airline is already facing a
crisis not even half a year from its launch. The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) has
provisionally suspended Shariah-compliant airline Rayani Air, Air Operator Certificate
No 54 issued under Regulation 24 of the Civil Aviation Regulation 1996 for a period of
three months from the date of notice. Rayani Air has suspended operations caused
by a strike by the airline's pilots and “technical” issues, followed by a recent flight delay.
The airline had also allegedly cancelled flights without advance notice and without
compensating or assisting affected passengers. The troubled airline previously
sparked public outrage and an investigation from the Transport Ministry for issuing
handwritten boarding passes to passengers on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching.
Unsurprisingly, a huge fuss was kicked up, and it even got the attention of the
Transportation Ministry, which revealed that the airline had already been warned about
a broken cockpit windshield earlier in the year.
Rayani responded by saying that the flight was cancelled due to “unexpected technical
problems”, which apparently were exacerbated by the fact that they only had two
aircraft, adding that the delays were unintentional, and that it would improve on its
operations and flight schedules. That may not be enough to save Rayani from having
its wings clipped, though, and it is likely to face a suspension.

A deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department made a sharp comment on his
Facebook page, calling on the management to really understand and apply syariah
principles, which was more than just about looking compliant but actually being
compliant in terms of fulfilling promises, obligations and punctuality. It is not enough
for someone to simply swear with one hand on the Quran; his words and actions have
to match too. Thus, Rayani has a lot to live up to, both in terms of spiritual and temporal
pledges. Let’s hope that Rayani weathers these stormy clouds and makes things right
- otherwise, all it is doing is operating on a wing and a prayer.

Source: Ahmad Azrai. (Mar 24, 2016). Rayani Air on a wing and a prayer? Retrieved
from http://www.theheatmalaysia.com/Main/Rayani-Air-on-a-wing-and-a-prayer

Based on the above case study:

a. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of Rayani Air

b. Suggest few solutions to the other aviation companies so that the similar issues
will not rise again.