The airline plans to develop dedicated travel solutions for medical and wellness travellers while strengthening Dubai’s role as an international healthcare hub
Emirates has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Medical Tourism Association (MTA) as part of a strategic push into the international medical, wellness and longevity travel market.
The agreement positions Emirates as MTA’s preferred airline for international medical and wellness travellers. The two organisations plan to combine Emirates’ network of close to 140 destinations with MTA’s healthcare industry network and Dubai’s established position as a medical tourism hub.
The partnership was signed on the sidelines of ATM 2026 and is intended to create a more structured approach to healthcare travel as a distinct customer segment for the airline.
Focus on medical travel corridors
Emirates and MTA plan to identify important source markets and medical travel corridors, particularly across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Based on these markets, the partners intend to develop tailored travel solutions and improve the customer journey for patients as well as referring physicians, insurers and employers.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Healthcare is among the most important reasons people travel internationally and is growing significantly. Our newly established partnership with MTA positions Emirates where premium demand is heading, and our network and superior products both onboard and on the ground provide a natural platform to serve these travellers.”
According to Kazim, insights generated through the cooperation with MTA will also be used to develop products reflecting the way medical travellers plan, book and experience their journeys.
Connecting patients with accredited providers
The partnership is also designed to improve connections between international patients and healthcare providers accredited by Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA).
Jonathan Edelheit, CEO and Founder of the Medical Tourism Association, said: “Hospitals and clinics have spent years trying to reach international patients one relationship at a time. What changes with this partnership is that the demand now has a path, from a global airline to an accredited provider, through Better by MTA.”
Emirates and MTA will additionally cooperate on industry engagement, market intelligence and initiatives aimed at promoting international standards and best practices in medical travel.
The agreement also supports Emirates’ ambition to become the world’s first GHA-accredited airline.
End-to-end medical travel services
MTA says its global network reaches more than 500,000 healthcare providers, employers, insurers and industry leaders and maintains government relationships in more than 100 countries.
As part of the cooperation, Emirates and MTA will explore how MTA’s platforms can help travellers find accredited healthcare providers, coordinate treatment and travel arrangements and make secure cross-border payments.
The objective is to create a more integrated journey covering both healthcare services and the international travel required to access them.
Image Credit: © AI generated illustration
