Scandinavian carrier Finnair will become the first airline to introduce in-flight payments by Alipay.
The Chinese online payment system will be adopted beginning January 27 for a month-long trial on Finnair’s Shanghai-Helsinki route.
It allows Alipay members to pay for purchases onboard and also at Finnair’s airport lounge in Helsinki.
Finland’s e-payment platform ePassi will be used to facilitate payments.
After the trial period, Finnair will make a decision on whether to expand the roll-out.
"As the number of travellers grows between Asia and Northern Europe, the need for a familiar and convenient payment platform has never been greater," said Finnair’s chief digital officer Katri Harra-Salonen.
"This new partnership with Alipay will help Chinese travellers to make payments onboard in a very convenient manner, through a system that is both fast and familiar to them."
Alipay was launched more than a decade ago in China by Alibaba Group and has an estimated 400 million users.
