Emirates, the UAE’s largest airline, has announced plans to accept Bitcoin (BTC) payments and to issue nonfungible tokens (NFTs) for trade on the company’s websites.
Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer, Adel Ahmed Al-Redha, reportedly stated that the airline would hire new personnel to work on blockchain-related projects such as crypto payments, blockchain monitoring, metaverse, and NFTs.
The airline is exploring using blockchain to maintain track of aircraft records, according to Al-Redha. The airline CEO also suggested that the metaverse may be used to digitally transform procedures including operations, training, website sales, and other airline-related experiences. This will make the processes “more engaging,” according to the airline’s Chief Operational Officer.
Apart from that, Al-Redha remarked that the airline industry is progressively recovering as more travelers arrive. To expand its reach, the company is implementing new technologies such as a Bitcoin payment service and tradeable NFT collectibles.
Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has made its official debut into the metaverse, as more and more Dubai-based enterprises adopt blockchain and crypto. The cryptocurrency regulator recently purchased the property in The Sandbox metaverse with the intention of establishing a virtual headquarters, or “MetaHQ,” there.
Other airlines have already begun to take cryptocurrencies as payment. In 2014, Latvian airline airBaltic became the first in the world to accept bitcoin payments for flight tickets. It now accepts ether and dogecoin as well.