Emirates partners with Medical Tourism Association to expand healthcare travel services
The organisations will identify key markets and medical travel corridors, particularly across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and develop travel solutions that address the needs of patients, referring physicians, insurers and employers.
UAE—Emirates has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Medical Tourism Association (MTA) to expand its presence in the growing medical tourism market and develop travel services tailored to international patients and wellness travellers.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026 and will support Emirates’ efforts to establish long-term partnerships in medical, wellness and longevity travel.
The airline plans to combine its global network of nearly 140 destinations with Dubai’s position as a healthcare and medical tourism hub to serve travellers seeking treatment abroad.
Developing Medical Travel Services
Under the partnership, Emirates will work with MTA as its preferred airline for international medical and wellness travellers.
The organisations will identify key markets and medical travel corridors, particularly across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and develop travel solutions that address the needs of patients, referring physicians, insurers and employers.
The collaboration will also focus on improving the customer experience, from planning and booking flights to coordinating healthcare services and travel arrangements.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, said international healthcare travel was growing significantly and represented an important market for the airline.
He said the partnership would position Emirates to serve this expanding customer segment by combining its global network with its onboard and ground services.
Kazim added that insights gained through MTA would help the airline develop products that reflect how medical travellers plan, book and experience their journeys.
Connecting Travellers with Accredited Providers
The agreement also aims to promote international best practices and standards across the medical tourism sector.
Emirates and MTA will collaborate with healthcare providers accredited by Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA), an organisation that assesses healthcare services for international patients.
Their work will include industry engagement, thought leadership and sharing market intelligence to identify opportunities in medical travel.
Emirates also plans to pursue its ambition of becoming the world’s first GHA-accredited airline.
Jonathan Edelheit, MTA’s CEO and founder, said hospitals and clinics had traditionally relied on individual relationships to reach international patients.
He said the partnership would create a more structured pathway connecting travellers from a global airline to accredited healthcare providers through Better by MTA, the association’s platform. Providers that meet the required standards would be included in this pathway.
Supporting the Medical Travel Journey
MTA’s network includes more than 500,000 healthcare providers, employers, insurers and industry leaders.
Through its platforms, the association also reaches millions of prospective medical and wellness travellers annually and maintains direct relationships with governments in more than 100 countries.
The partnership will explore how Emirates and MTA can use the platform to help travellers find accredited healthcare providers, coordinate treatment and travel arrangements, and make secure cross-border payments powered by Mastercard.
The initiative will focus on connecting travel, healthcare coordination and payment services to support patients throughout their medical journeys.
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