Malaysia's Air Riths to use charitable business model

Air Riths (Kuala Lumpur Int'l) is planning to launch Hajj and Umrah flights under its Waqf Airlines brand CEO Datuk Rithsman Mohamed has disclosed. Speaking at the carrier's unveiling, Mohamed said Waqf Airlines would be a shariah-compliant charter operator employing A330-300 widebody jets for flights between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

Mohamed says that while the carrier will be a for-profit entity initially, it will eventually seek to become a non-profit operation as waqf (a donation made for religious purposes) funds accrue. In line with its charitable business plan, Waqf Airlines plans to allocate 500 free return tickets per Muslim pilgrimage season to those in the lower-income group.

It is also looking at setting up hotel and transport services in Saudi Arabia to help lower its overall cost base.
Once Malaysian operations have been established, Air Riths then plans to turn its attention to the Chinese as well as South-east Asian market. In all, it plans to develop itself into the largest Muslim charter operator in the world.

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