KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 — Prejudice and an unwillingness to give Rayani Air a chance to prove its worth are the reasons behind its current woes, according to owner and chief executive officer Ravi Alagendrran.

The founder of Malaysia’s first ever Shariah-compliant airline said that various parties had tried to stamp out the airline from its inception.

“From the start we have had to deal with unfounded criticism. At every turn people were trying to run us down and yet we got the concept off the ground,” he said.

Ravi said certain parties were unhappy at the initial success of the airline and had blown its operational hiccups out of proportion.

“The public supported us as evidenced by our booming ticket sales. But as soon as there were problems our critics came from every direction to clip our wings.

“Maybe the concept of us introducing a Shariah compliant airline was too novel or too radical for them to accept,” he added.

Ravi also said the announcement had jeopardised the refund of tickets and the payment of over 400 staff, of whom 95 per cent were Muslim.

“This coming at the start of Ramadan is very unfortunate and I appeal to the authorities to take this into consideration,” he said.

Rayani Air appealed today to be allowed to operate under new management after its air operator certificate and air service licence were revoked.

Ravi claimed that negotiations with investors were at a peak and said the new management would be able to revive the company.

The DCA and MAVCOM had earlier today announced the revocation of Rayani Air’s air operator certificate and air service licence respectively, following an inquiry into the troubled airline’s commercial standing and safety aspects.

Rayani was suspended last April after it unilaterally halted operations when a pilot strike left it crippled. The DCA had suspended Rayani’s air operator certificate over the unauthorised halt.

The country’s first Shariah-compliant airline has been beset by problems since it was launched less than a year ago last December, culminating in the strike by pilots over unpaid salaries.