Worldpay strengthens airline payments business

By Vriti Gothi

Worldpay has expanded its footprint in airline payments through a new partnership with Bhutan’s national carrier Drukair, as global payment providers increasingly target the travel sector’s cross-border transaction challenges.

Under the agreement, Drukair will adopt Worldpay’s global payment gateway across its online booking platforms, using the company’s acquiring network and intelligent transaction routing to process international card payments in real time. The integration includes built-in fraud prevention capabilities, aimed at improving approval rates while maintaining transaction security for cross-border bookings.

For Worldpay, the deal reinforces its strategy of positioning itself as a specialised payments partner for airlines and travel companies operating across multiple markets. As carriers seek to reduce payment friction, lower decline rates and support a wider range of cards, global acquirers with local market reach are becoming central to airline digital commerce strategies.

“Secure, streamlined payments are essential to Drukair’s mission of delivering outstanding travel experiences,” said Phil Pomford, General Manager, Global eCommerce at Worldpay. “By joining Worldpay’s network of leading airlines in Asia, Drukair can offer reliable and consumer-friendly payment options to travellers wherever they book.”

The partnership also highlights Worldpay’s broader expansion across the Asia-Pacific travel ecosystem, where airlines are modernising payment infrastructure to support international growth and rising digital bookings. By providing real-time processing, intelligent routing and fraud controls through a single gateway, Worldpay aims to simplify payment operations for carriers while enabling them to scale across borders.

Drukair expects the Worldpay payment gateway to be rolled out across its online booking channels in the near term, as the airline upgrades its digital systems to support international passengers.