Ethiopian Airlines (ET) and digital payments company Visa have signed “an agreement to support the rollout and growth of Visa co‑branded payment products.” ET says, “the agreement reinforces a long‑standing collaboration between Visa and Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest and most respected airline groups, and is designed to enhance the payment experience for travelers while supporting the airline’s growth ambitions.”
According to Ethiopian Airlines, “through the joint effort, Visa and Ethiopian Airlines will work together to drive greater adoption and usage of co‑branded Visa cards, offering customers more seamless, secure and rewarding ways to pay for travel and everyday purchases.”
“The collaboration will also focus on strengthening customer engagement, promoting digital payments and supporting Ethiopian Airlines’ expanding footprint.” ET added
Visa Cluster Head Eastern Africa, Yared Endale said: “Travel and payments are intrinsically linked, and this collaboration reflects our shared commitment to simplifying how customers pay and travel. By deepening our relationship with Ethiopian Airlines, we are supporting the evolution of digital payments while helping deliver more value, convenience and choice to travelers across the region.”
Ethiopian Airlines said: “The engagement will also support marketing initiatives and innovation aimed at improving the end‑to‑end travel journey, from booking and payments to loyalty and customer engagement. Visa’s global payment network and technology capabilities will help enable secure and reliable transactions across borders, supporting both local and international travel.”
Ethiopian Airlines Group Marketing Vice President, Mrs. Rahel Assefa said the airlines “collaboration with Visa aims to further enhance payment options for our customers and increase convenience during every payment.’’
Ethiopian Airlines operates an extensive network across Africa and beyond, connecting the continent to major global destinations. ET further noted that “the strengthened collaboration with Visa underscores a shared vision to support Africa’s aviation sector, improve customer experiences and accelerate the shift toward electronic payments.”
ET stated that “this announcement forms part of Visa’s broader commitment to working with airlines, merchants and financial institutions to enable secure, innovative and inclusive payment solutions that support commerce and cross‑border travel across Africa.”