Few scheduled airlines allow customers to pay with digital assets through their own booking channels. Latvia’s airBaltic, for instance, has accepted Bitcoin since 2014 and later added other cryptocurrencies through BitPay, while Air Arabia accepts AE Coin, a dirham-backed stablecoin, through the AEC Wallet app.
BermudAir has announced a stablecoin payment service, although evidence of a full rollout remains inconsistent. And programs previously offered by Vueling and LOT Polish Airlines are no longer clearly available.
Emirates brings the profile and reach of a major international carrier to this small field. The company says its rollout supports the Dubai Cashless Strategy, part of the D33 Economic Agenda, which seeks to make 90 percent of transactions across the public and private sectors digital by the end of 2026.
Both companies already have ties to Dubai Finance. Emirates signed an agreement with the department to advance digital payments, while Crypto.com formed a separate partnership covering payments for government services.
