Spring Airlines launches digital payment for tickets

Spring Airlines received an order of 560 yuan paid with digital renminbi for a flight ticket from Shanghai to Shenzhen, marking the start of digital currency payment in China's civil aviation, said the Shanghai-based carrier on Friday.

The ticket was purchased by a Shenzhen resident surnamed Shui during Spring Airlines' business trial for digital currency settlement, and it has become the first air ticket bought with digital yuan.

The trial for digital yuan is in full swing across China. By the end of 2019, Shenzhen, Suzhou of Jiangsu province, Xiong'an New Area of Hebei province and Chengdu of Sichuan province were all among the first batch of pilot areas. The trial of digital RMB was later expanded to Shanghai, Hainan province, Changsha of Hunan province, Xi'an of Shaanxi province, Qingdao of Shandong province and Dalian of Liaoning province by October 2020.

As the nation's first aviation company to launch digital yuan payment and settlement, Spring Airlines looks to further explore the application of digital yuan into more air travel scenarios.