Emirates has introduced a split-payment option for customers in Kenya, allowing travellers to pay for air tickets using multiple payment methods or staggered instalments, as the airline seeks to tap into Africa’s mobile-money-driven economy.
The service, enabled through Tingg, a payment gateway operated by African payments firm Cellulant, is available on the Emirates website in Kenya and is expected to be extended to other African markets in the coming months.
Under the new option, customers can combine mobile money, mobile banking and local debit or credit cards, or make an initial payment followed by up to four additional instalments within 24 hours. The structure allows travellers to complete bookings while remaining within daily and per-transaction limits imposed by mobile money providers.
“With hundreds of millions of Africans relying on mobile money as their preferred way to pay, extending this convenience to international travel payments is essential,” said Michael Muriuki, Cellulant’s chief product and technology officer.
Mobile money is the dominant form of payment across Africa, with more than one billion registered wallets and tens of billions of transactions annually, but transaction limits often prevent customers from completing high-value purchases such as international flights.
Christophe Leloup, Emirates’ country manager for Kenya, said the airline was adapting its booking experience to local market realities. “By introducing split payments through Tingg by Cellulant, we unlock greater flexibility and convenience, while enabling more customers to access our products and services,” he said.
In Kenya, Emirates already accepts payments via mobile money platforms such as M-Pesa, mobile banking transfers and local cards through its partnership with Cellulant. Across Africa, the two companies support local payment and financing options in more than 14 markets, including South Africa, Ghana and Zimbabwe.
The launch comes as Emirates plans to add a third daily flight on the Dubai–Nairobi route from March 1, 2026, increasing capacity on a corridor that has seen strong demand. The airline said recent flights on the route have recorded consistently high seat occupancy rates.
Customers can access the split-payment option when booking tickets on the Emirates website.