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(ANSAmed) - LONDON, NOVEMBER 15 - Travel industry officials, including those from Islamic countries, have criticised as "impractical and unworkable" the idea of creating a special airline to cater to religious Muslims, an idea mooted by a World Travel Market (WTM) report. With an increasing number of Muslims travelling, such an airline could provide halal food, calls to prayer, religious programmes on the inflight entertainment system and separate sections for male and female passengers, said the WTM report, presented this week during the WTM annual conference in London, which wraps up today, reports Gulf News. "We already have this airline. This report is probably talking about us," Nurul Suzainee Abdullah, manager of Royal Brunei, said wryly. She said there are already several airlines that take into account special needs of their Muslim passengers so there is little point in discussing the idea. Saudi Arabian Airlines, Sharjah's budget carrier Air Arabia and Kuwait Airways are among the companies that prohibit alcohol use and many airlines from Muslim countries play a pre-recorded journey prayer during takeoff. Dismissive Dimitry Laspas, publisher of the "Tourism Around the World" e-newsletter, was equally dismissive about the need for an airline exclusively for religious people because travel matters affect all passengers irrespective of their religion or beliefs. In making a case for a "halal" airline, the WTM report pointed to a budget carrier set up by the Vatican to transport pilgrims. Laspas said people cannot go about copying what the Vatican does. "The Vatican is also the world's smallest country with the biggest army in per capita terms," he said. The report on travel trends also said there is an "opportunity" for building hotels exclusively for Muslim women. The suggestion has been similarly rejected. (ANSAmed)