AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines offer help for passengers of grounded Rayani Air

Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia are offering discounted fares to passengers stranded by the grounding of Rayani Air, Malaysia's first shariah-compliant airline that was launched barely five months ago. The airline was issued a provisional suspension for three months by Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) on Sunday (Apr 10) on grounds of safety concerns and unpaid salaries, Malaysian media had reported. DCA said it will undertake a full administration and safety audit of Rayani Air’s state of operations. Prior to the suspension, the DCA has issued two warning letters to Rayani Air on the non-compliance and poor service levels, and had been given multiple warnings, it said. Rayani Air had earlier suspended its operations on Friday, citing a strike by its pilots. However the Malaysian civil aviation authority took issue with this: "If an airline intends to cease operations, they must provide at least six months notice to the DCA. Under the regulations, only DCA is empowered to suspend airlines," DCA said.<br/>