Qatar Airways plans to launch NFTs and allow the purchase of tickets in the metaverse for physical flights.
Qatar Airways announced on Tuesday the launch of its first metaverse experience, QVerse. This virtual reality platform allows interested parties to virtually visit and navigate through the Premium check-in area of Hamad International Airport (HIA).
However, according to the company’s statements to Cointelegraph, QVerse is nothing more than the company’s first foray into the metaverse.
Qatar Airways Views on Metaverse
The company said it intends to expand its virtual environment initiatives and believes the metaverse is part of the future of human relations.
“We believe that the future is virtual. The metaverse will empower human beings, expand their horizons and break their limits by defying the most basic methods that were once limitations.”
“As physical limits begin to be challenged by the metaverse on an ever-increasing scale, it is exciting to equip technology that allows all travel enthusiasts to enjoy a unique and immersive experience of our award-winning products and services,” said Qatar Airways Group CEO, H.E. Akbar Al Baker, earlier in April.
On Twitter, @qatarairways proudly asked, “Have you got your ticket to the #QatarAirways #QVerse?”
According to the company, its entry into the metaverse reflects its passengers’ desire for “immersive content that can empower their decision-making before buying a ticket, and they are often eager to discover the plane they will fly on.”
“That’s why we believe QVerse will change the way passengers make their purchasing decisions,” company representatives said.
More Plans Lie Ahead
The company has also highlighted that it plans to add more functionality, places, and interactions to its metaverse platform, and intends to make the experience sociable and accessible through the Oculus Quest VR platform.
It also intends to include the purchase of physical flight tickets and the choice of seats on real planes through the metaverse. The company noted that actions on metaverse gateways such as Decentraland and The Sandbox could occur in the future.
“We are currently focusing on building our metaverse rather than investing in Decentraland or Sandbox. But we are not ruling out this plan. We are continuing to explore how we can develop this area and strategically incorporate NFTs into QVerse.”
Last year, Qatar Airways became the first airline in the Middle East to adopt the IATA Blockchain “digital passport”, in collaboration with the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Recently, the US Air Force also announced their entry into the metaverse and filed a trademark application for an initiative called SpaceVerse. Although details of the application and what the SpaceVerse is are scarce, the application highlights that it will be a virtual reality training, testing, and operations environment for the US defense agency.
By Audy Castaneda
