Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai, quoted in news reports, said a provisional suspension notice would be issued by the DCA. Matters relating to passengers’ rights and compensation would be referred to the Malaysian Aviation Commission.
Liow said Rayani Air’s licence could be revoked, but the airline would first be given “a chance to explain”.
The airline management has said on Saturday it was suspending operations, after a strike by pilots on Friday caused flight cancellations. But Liow said “Rayani cannot suspend itself, only DCA can suspend it”.
Rayani founder Ravi Alagendrran was reported to have blamed internal sabotage for the disruptions and said the airline would conduct a “restructuring exercise”.
Liow said on his Twitter account today that Rayani Air had contravened the conditions of its Air Operators Certificate and that the DCA would conduct a full administration and safety audit to determine if Rayani would be fit to operate, after serving its suspension.
Liow said the Transport Ministry and the DCA had issued warnings to the airline for poor procedures and levels of service.
Rayani Air has been in operation for only 110 days. There have been complaints from passengers of flight cancellations without notice and delays of up to 13 hours.
On Saturday, DCA director of flight operations Yahaya Abdul Rahman said Rayani Air would face action under the Civil Aviation Regulations if it had violated the terms of its operating certificate.
“For now, the airline will be suspended pending a DCA investigation into the various issues that have cropped up,” he said. “If the findings of the probe reveal Rayani Air is not fit to operate, the airline’s operating licence will be revoked.”
Yesterday Liow was quoted as saying that Rayani’s failure to meet several key performance indicators lay behind its decision to stop flying.
Faulty airframes and unpaid salaries were among the reasons cited for Rayani’s decision, according to anonymous Rayani insiders quoted in news reports. “Since late January pilots had raised concerns about the windows and hydraulic systems which could potentially lead to accidents,” one source said.
There were numerous technical issues, including a broken cockpit window on February 9, news reports said.