Malaysian Sharia-compliant Rayani Air grounded for failing to follow aviation rules.

Malaysian Sharia-compliant Rayani Air grounded for failing to follow aviation rules. (AN).

Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) suspended the country’s first Sharia-compliant airline company.

"Rayani Air has been suspended for three months," said DCA director-general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman because "They contravened civil aviation regulations.

Launched in December 2015, the company requires Muslim flight crewmembers to wear the hijab whilst non-Muslim crew are forbidden from wearing revealing clothing.

In-flight meals are completely halal and alcohol consumption is strictly banned.



In recent weeks, however, the carrier, which operates two Boeing 737-400s, has drawn increasing criticism from passengers and the government due to last-minute delays and cancellations. Its pilots have also gone on strike, further damaging its image.

The company on Monday said in a Facebook post that it was working hard to "to solve our internal matters and get Rayani back on track".

Malaysia’s Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai tweeted on Saturday that the DCA would conduct a safety audit before allowing the airline to fly again.

The "DCA will undertake a full administration and safety audit to determine if Rayani is 'fit' for AOC (aviation operating certificate) after serving provisional suspension," he wrote.

Liow also expressed disappointment at Rayani's conduct despite previous warnings over "poor procedures and service level".

Missing Malaysian Airlines plane could have flown into Taliban-controlled Pakistan.

Missing Malaysian Airlines plane could have flown into Taliban-controlled Pakistan.(RT).

Citing sources, UK newspaper The Independent reported that Malaysian investigators had requested permission from the Pakistani government to follow up a theory that the missing passenger jet had landed close to the border with Afghanistan.

The Boeing 777, carrying 239 people, disappeared from radars last week on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Since then, authorities have been unable to ascertain the whereabouts of the plane, and have not found any wreckage from a crash.

The Pakistani government says it has no record of the craft entering its airspace, but has told the Malaysian investigators it is ready to share all available information. In addition, The Kazakh Civil Aviation Committee has said that although the Malaysian Airlines plane could have reached Kazakhstan, their radars would have picked it up.

"No information about the Malaysian plane is available at our radar as it has not entered our airspace," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told reporters when asked to comment on the Malaysian government's request. “Our radar system has no information about the Malaysian aircraft as it has never contacted our control tower.”

Pakistan is now one of 25 countries participating in the search for the missing plane.
The Malaysian authorities are investigating a myriad of theories of how the plane disappeared and have not ruled out a possible terrorist attack.

On Saturday, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said that investigators had reliable information that someone on the plane had “deliberately disabled” communications systems before the plane vanished.

Furthermore, investigators said that it would have taken someone with pilot training to be able to switch off the Aircraft and Communications Addressing and Reporting System, or ACARS. This system automatically sends engine data and other information to the airline.

The Hill:
A former military officer is claiming the U.S. government "knows a lot more" than it is publicly revealing about the Maylasian jetliner that went missing more than a week ago.

Retired Lt. Gen. Tom McInerney said on Fox's "The Kelly File" Friday night that he suspects some type of criminal behavior and that it is possible the plane landed somewhere. He said all airfields in the area should be checked, including in Pakistan and in eastern Iran.

"I know the U.S. government knows a lot more than they're talking about. And clearly, the NSA has a lot of data they're going through now...I'm confident that the U.S. government has a much better picture than the Maylasian government and the Chinese government," McInerney said.

McInerney served as a pilot, commander and strategic planner in the U.S. Air Force.