Qantas is entering the non-fungible token (NFT) space, revealing plans to release its own series of branded digital art collectibles in the middle of this year.
From today, frequent flyers with a bent for crypto can register their interest in what the airline describes as “a new way to own a piece of Qantas history”.
As a tease of what digital art might be offered, the Qantas NFT website sports a graphic showing a split image of its iconic Boeing 747 in two familiar liveries.
Using blockchain technology, which is a digital ledger used to show the provenance of an asset, each artwork will be one-of-a-kind, allowing people to buy, own, collect and sell the tokens.
NFTs represent a growing and valuable slice of the crypto-trading market, with one token in the popular Bored Ape series recently selling for the equivalent of US$2.8 million.
Qantas is not the first airline to enter the booming NFT market: airBaltic jumped onto the hype-wagon in 2021 with a series of artworks featuring its Airbus A220 aircraft soaring above various Latvian cities.
However, in what is said to be a world first, Qantas states the initial buyer of each NFT will also earn Qantas Points on the purchase, with more benefits for the NFT holders yet to be revealed.