Emirates partners with Cellulant to enable split payments in Africa

Written by Vriti Goshi

Dubai-based airline Emirates has introduced an installment payment feature for its Kenyan customers, allowing travelers to complete their ticket purchases using multiple payment methods or tiered installments. This functionality is offered through Cellulant’s Tingg payment gateway and will be expanded to other African markets in the coming months.

The solution, available on the airline’s website, allows customers to combine mobile money, mobile banking and local debit or credit cards in one transaction. Travelers can also complete up to four additional installments within 24 hours of making their first payment, allowing them to stay within their mobile wallet transaction limits while completing high-value reservations.

This development addresses structural challenges in many African markets where mobile money is widely used but subject to per-transaction and daily caps. With more than 1 billion mobile money wallets registered across the continent, such restrictions often prevented customers from completing high-value purchases, such as international flight tickets, and resulted in abandoned transactions.

Michael Muriuki, Cellulant’s chief product and technology officer, said the integration aims to remove friction in high-value digital payments. “With hundreds of millions of Africans relying on mobile money as their preferred payment method, it is essential that we extend this convenience to travel payments around the world. Through Tingg, we are enabling Emirates customers to seamlessly complete high-value transactions without transaction restrictions becoming a barrier to access.”

Christophe Leroux, Emirates Country Manager for Kenya, said the initiative supports the airline’s focus on improving the booking experience in key growth markets. “Introducing split payments through Tingg provides even more flexibility and convenience, allowing more customers to access our products and services.”

Strategically, this move reflects a broader trend among merchants globally to localize payment acceptance in a mobile-first economy. For the FinTech sector, this development highlights the growing role of payments orchestration platforms that enable cross-border commerce by bridging global merchants and local payments ecosystems.

The launch coincides with Emirates’ expansion of capacity on the Dubai-Nairobi route, with three daily flights scheduled to begin from March 1, 2026. By aligning increased seat availability with locally relevant payment options, both partners aim to convert strong travel demand into completed bookings.

Cellulant currently supports Emirates with payment and financing options across 14 African markets, including South Africa, Ghana and Zimbabwe, with both companies aiming to expand digital access to international travel across the region.