Malaysia’s first “Syariah-compliant” airline, Rayani Air, has been given until Friday to pay up outstanding salary payments to its staff, a representative of the carrier’s employees said today.
“We have given Ravi (Algendrran, Rayani Air owner) until Friday at the latest to pay our outstanding salaries,” Rayani Air KLIA2 station manager Zulkalnain Azdan told mStar in a brief text message today.
Zulkalnain added that currently, employees of Rayani Air are in negotiations with potential investors to come in and get the airline operational once again.
Last Friday, a group of Rayani Air staff members, including Zulkalnain, issued a demand from the carrier to settle their salaries, amounting to a total of RM1.5 million, by this Tuesday. The new Friday deadline is an extension of their ultimatum.
Zulkalnain said that should the employees’ salaries not be paid up by the new deadline, they would pursue legal action against Algendrran and the airline.
Rayani Air was ordered by the Department of Civil Aviation to suspend its operations for three months beginning April 11, following a strike by the carriers pilots over the issue of outstanding salary payments.
Algendrran had stated that he was willing to part with a portion of his stake in the airline – he is currently Rayani Air’s sole owner – in exchange for more investment money to maintain and expand the company.
