Dubai-Based Emirates Introduces Bitcoin Payments for Flights

Dubai-based Emirates Airline has added Bitcoin and crypto payments as an option for customers. The airline is working with Crypto.com to offer this feature, which was first teased in 2022. According to Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer of Emirates, the move reflects 'the rapidly evolving preferences of a younger, digitally fluent generation who manage their money and plan their journeys primarily from their phones and they expect the airlines they fly with to keep pace.'

The integration is limited for now to eligible UAE residents making bookings priced and settled in Emirati Dirham. The option allows Crypto.com customers to use any digital assets to make payments through the Emirates App or emirates.com. This move supports Dubai's Cashless Strategy, part of the D33 Economic Agenda, which aims to make 90% of transactions across the emirate's government and private sectors digital by the end of 2026.