Qatar Airways is rolling out Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) at checkout across 17 markets in Europe through a new partnership with Klarna.

Travellers booking flights with the airline can now choose to pay later, split into interest-free instalments, or finance their trip over time.

The new deal is facilitated by Klarna’s integration with payments tech giant Worldpay.

The service is being launched in the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Poland, and the Czech Republic over the coming weeks.

Qatar Airways currently connects more than 170 destinations globally through its hub in Doha.

“This partnership reflects our commitment to customer empowerment and experience excellence," said Christophe Guittard, Qatar Airways' SVP of digital commercial. "By partnering with Klarna, we’re making the Qatar Airways booking journey more convenient—giving our customers greater confidence and at the point of payment.”

The move comes after Klarna and Worldpay recently announced a strategic expansion to their partnership, making Klarna a default payment option for Worldpay’s global merchant network and facilitating the global roll-out of Klarna’s smarter payment options.

It continues the alternative payments firm's growth in the travel industry, with the company already partnering with Expedia, Airbnb, and Booking.com.

According to Klarna, travel has become one of Klarna’s fastest-growing sectors.

In July, the BNPL provider was given the go-ahead for an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) licence by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

The move means that the FinTech’s 11 million UK customers can now hold and manage funds in a Klarna account.

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