Emirates, national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has announced its plans to add Bitcoin as a payment service.
In addition, the airline’s websites will feature non-fungible token (NFT) collectibles for trading purposes.
Speaking at the Arabian Travel Market, Adel Ahmed Al-Redha, Emirates’ chief operating officer, said the airline will recruit additional workers for metaverse and NFTs to build apps to monitor consumer demands.
Ahmed Al-Redha said that NFT and metaverse are two different approaches.
He added that the airline would utilise blockchain technology to trace aircraft records.
“With the metaverse, you will be able to transform your whole processes whether it is in operation, training, sales on the website, or complete experience into a metaverse type application, but more importantly making it interactive,” Arab News quoted him as saying.
Al-Redha said Emirates wants to adopt innovative digital technologies such as blockchain, metaverse, and cryptocurrency to engage with consumers in a faster and more flexible manner.
When asked about the state of the aviation industry, Al-Redha said the sector had recovered well, as seen by the increased number of passengers.
However, he said that the accessibility of the resources throughout the network is the most significant obstacle, but he added that they “are in a better position than other countries because of the accessibility.”
On Friday, Bitcoin appreciated 9.4 per cent to about $30,4018, according to data from coinmarketcap.com.