Emirates has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Crypto.com to explore launching Crypto.com Pay as a payment option.
The integration is expected to take effect next year.
Although the airline hasn’t committed to specific payment options, it could become the first major carrier to let customers buy flights with crypto.
Emirates & Crypto.com to Collaborate on Payments
In a statement announcing the MoU, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim said the partnership reflects the company’s “commitment to meeting evolving customer preferences, in addition to tapping into younger, tech-savvy customer segments who prefer digital currencies.”
Crypto.com President Eric Anziani stated: “As we continue to expand the everyday use case for crypto, integration with exceptional partners such as Emirates will bring real momentum to the digital asset industry.”
Crypto Payments in the Aviation Industry
While Emirates is the first major airline to explore crypto payments, it isn’t the first to make the move.
The earliest adopter was the Latvian national airline, AirBaltic, which began accepting Bitcoin (BTC) for some flight payments back in 2014.
Meanwhile, the third-party platform Alternative Airlines lets users buy flights with over 100 cryptocurrencies from major carriers, including Delta, American Airlines, Qantas, British Airways, KLM, Air France, and Air Canada.
Crypto.com Expands Dubai Partnerships
Dubai’s crypto ambitions extend far beyond retail checkout counters and the aviation sector.
In May, the government of Dubai signed a MoU with Crypto.com to let citizens to pay their service fees and utility bills with crypto.
Meanwhile, on July 6, the Dubai Land Department (DLD) signed its own memorandum with Crypto.com to create a blockchain‑based environment for digital real estate.
That collaboration builds on the DLD’s ongoing exploration of real estate tokenization, which includes a new platform based on the XRP Ledger.
Source: ccn