Emirates, the UAE's largest airline, now accepts cryptocurrency for flight bookings through an integration with Crypto.com Pay, according to the airline's announcement on July 28.
The service converts cryptocurrency to UAE dirhams before settlement and is available to Crypto.com account holders booking flights in the local currency. Emirates did not specify which cryptocurrencies the payment method accepts or provide transaction volume figures.
The integration marks a rare acceptance of digital assets by a major airline. Most carriers have avoided crypto payments due to volatility and regulatory uncertainty around settlement. Emirates operates the world's largest fleet of Boeing 777 wide-body aircraft and carried over 61 million passengers in 2025, making it one of the highest-volume international carriers by traffic.
Crypto.com Pay, the payment processor behind the integration, has pursued merchant partnerships in the Middle East since 2023. The exchange holds significant market share in the UAE and Singapore, two jurisdictions where regulators have moved faster than Western counterparts to clarify digital asset licensing rules. UAE authorities granted Crypto.com a virtual asset provider license in 2022.
Flights are typically booked months in advance, reducing the settlement risk that makes crypto attractive for payments in other sectors. The move also hinges on regulatory tolerance: the UAE has positioned itself as crypto-friendly, but major airlines in other jurisdictions face pressure from central banks and financial regulators to avoid the asset class entirely.
Emirati carriers have occasionally tested blockchain applications. Flydubai, a smaller UAE-based airline, piloted a digital ID system on blockchain in 2023. Major global carriers including United, Air Canada, and Singapore Airlines have declined to accept cryptocurrency for bookings, citing compliance and volatility concerns.
EmiratesAccepts crypto through a single payment processor at one airline, with settlement in local currency and no disclosed transaction cap or volume metrics. The test's scale remains unknown. Crypto.com will need to report whether the payment method drives measurable booking volume within six months to justify expansion to other carriers in the region.
