Ethiopian Airlines and Visa Strengthen Collaboration to Expand Co‑Branded Card Offerings
Ethiopian Airlines and Visa Strengthen Collaboration to Expand Co‑Branded Card Offerings
The agreement will support seamless travel payments and enhanced customer experiences
Addis Ababa, 29 April 2026 — Ethiopian Airlines, the largest airline in Africa and Visa, a global leader in digital payments, announce an agreement to support the rollout and growth of Visa co‑branded payment products.
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.
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.
“Travel and payments are intrinsically linked, and this collaboration reflects our shared commitment to simplifying how customers pay and travel,” said Yared Endale, Cluster Head Eastern Africa, Visa. “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.”
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 on her part said, ‘’At Ethiopian, we continuously strive to provide our passengers with a seamless range of options to access and enjoy our services. Our 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. 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.
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.
About Ethiopian
Ethiopian Airlines Group (ET) is one of the fastest-growing airline brands globally and the leading Aviation Group in Africa. Ethiopian took the lead in introducing cutting-edge aviation technology and systems in the continent. Currently, Ethiopian reaches over 145 global destinations and owns more than 170 ultra-modern and environmentally friendly aircraft with an average fleet age of seven years.
Ethiopian is a Star Alliance member and winner of SKYTRAX ‘Best Airlines in Africa’ for eight consecutive years. As a Pan-African airline, Ethiopian established the much-needed intra-Africa and transcontinental air connectivity network, linking Africa to the rest of the world.
For more information, visit our website at www.ethiopianairlines.com email us at CorporateCommunications@ethiopianairlines.com or call us at (251-11)517-8913/8165/8907.
About Visa
Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating more than 215 billion payments transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories each year. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable, and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere, and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.
