Emirates has launched a split-payment capability in Kenya through its strategic partnership with Cellulant, expanding payment flexibility for customers and highlighting the growing importance of localized payment solutions in airline retail.
The feature, enabled via Cellulant’s Tingg payment platform and available on emirates.com, allows customers to combine multiple payment methods including mobile money, mobile banking, and local credit or debit cards when booking flights. Customers can also make an initial payment online and complete up to four additional instalments within a 24-hour period.
The solution is designed to address a key constraint in many African markets, where mobile wallet transaction limits can prevent customers from completing high-value purchases such as international airline tickets.
Michael Muriuki, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Cellulant, said:
“With hundreds of millions of Africans relying on mobile money as their preferred way to pay, extending this convenience to global travel payments is essential. Through Tingg, we are enabling Emirates customers to complete high-value transactions seamlessly, without transaction limits becoming a barrier to access.”
Christophe Leloup, Emirates’ Country Manager for Kenya, added:
“Kenya is one of the most dynamic markets on our global network, and we’re always looking for ways to enhance our customer experience across every touchpoint, including the booking process. By introducing split payments, through Tingg by Cellulant, we unlock greater flexibility and convenience, while enabling more customers to access our world-class product and services.”
Mobile money remains the dominant payment method across Africa, with more than one billion registered wallets and over US$1 trillion in annual transaction value. However, daily and per-transaction limits often result in abandoned bookings for high-value travel purchases.
The split-payment option joins Emirates’ existing local payment capabilities in Kenya, including M-Pesa, mobile banking transfers, and card payments processed through Cellulant.
The launch also coincides with Emirates’ network expansion in the market, with a third daily Dubai–Nairobi flight scheduled to begin on 1 March 2026 to meet strong demand for international travel.
The split-payment capability has debuted in Kenya and is expected to roll out to additional African markets in the coming months.
For the industry, the move reflects a broader trend as airlines adapt global retail strategies to local payment behavior, particularly in mobile-first markets where payment flexibility directly impacts booking conversion.
