Malaysian halal airline Rayani Air plans relaunch as Hajj, Umrah charter service

Malaysia’s first Halal airline Rayani Air is planning to return to the skies after an absence of nearly a decade. It plans to focus on Hajj and Umrah charter flights.

In separate posts published on its official Facebook page between September 20 and 28, Rayani Air announced its relaunch as Rayani Air 2.0 with new management and its operating base at Sultan Ismail Petra Airport at Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The airline plans to launch its operations using 290-seat Airbus A330-300 aircraft next year (2027).

The launch will mark Rayani Air’s return since it ceased operations in 2016. During a short five-month period that started towards the end of 2015 and early 2016, it operated regularly scheduled commercial flights as a budget airline. Onboard services adhered to Islamic dietary laws as no pork and alcoholic beverages were served. Flights were operated using Boeing 737 aircraft.

WATCH: Rayani Air (Closed)  

In June 2016, Malaysia’s aviation regulators revoked Rayani Air’s license due to breach of license conditions and the lack of financial and management capacity for the continued operation as a commercial airline.

Rayani Air addressed its closure over a decade ago in its official statement saying “We at Rayani Air 2.0 acknowledge and deeply understand the disappointment experienced by many passengers in 2015-2016 under the previous management. The issue of cancelled flights and pending refunds is a heavy amanah for us. The operations at the time were under the old management.”

The airline further stated the airline has gone through a long restructuring since its services were suspended in 2016, and addressed long-standing issues such as pending customer refunds.

“We are not running from history. For legacy refunds still pending, we are reviewing old records with legal advisors to find the best solution via proper channels.”

Malaysia Airlines Group currently has a dedicated Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage flight operator named Amal.