Brisbane Airport has announced that it plans to become the first airport in the world to accept cryptocurrency payments. The service will be delivered in partnership with TravelByBit, a company which specialises in cryptocurrency payment systems.

Once the new scheme launches, passengers will be able to use popular cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, dash, and ether to purchase items in the various restaurants, coffee shop and retail stores within the main terminal buildings. This service is expected to be especially popular with travellers who are in transit and only stopping over in Brisbane for a few hours, as it will allow them to purchase items without having to withdraw local currency.

TravelByBit also plans to partner with companies located within the city of Brisbane to enable them to start accepting cryptocurrency payments for goods and services. This move is welcome news after weeks of negative press about governments around the world cracking down on the trading and use of cryptocurrencies by introducing strict legislation to control coin exchanges or to ban them entirely.

However, in light of high bitcoin transaction costs and long verification times, it remains to be seen just how successful the attempt to bring bitcoin to Brisbane will be.