Ryanair delays move to paperless boarding passes

Budget carrier Ryanair has delayed its move to 100% paperless boarding passes to the start of its winter schedule on November 3.

Media reports had suggested that the change could come in May, ahead of the busy summer season.

But the implementation will now begin at the start of the winter season in November, and means Ryanair passengers will no longer download and print a physical paper boarding pass.

Instead they will use the digital boarding pass generated in their ‘myRyanair’ app during check-in.

Currently almost 80% of Ryanair’s 200 million annual passengers already use this digital boarding pass.

As a result of this initiative, Ryanair expects to eliminate almost all airport check-in fees from November, as all passengers will have checked-in online or in-app to generate their digital boarding pass.

The airline said it will also reduce passengers’ carbon footprint by eliminating unnecessary paper, saving more than 300 tonnes in paper waste each year.

The app also has features such as live flight information and updates from Ryanair’s operations centre during disruptions.

Dara Brady, Ryanair chief marketing officer, said: “This move to 100% paperless boarding passes from November 2025 will allow us to deliver an enhanced travel experience for customers, streamlined through the myRyanair app during our less busy winter schedule.

“This will be particularly useful to passengers during disruptions as it will facilitate real-time updates from our ops centre directly to passengers’ phones, and will also provide them with alternative flight options, and offer transfers or hotel accommodation options when necessary.

“Like other ticket industries – concerts, sports venues, rail, etc – there has been a massive switch to using mobile, and with almost 80% of Ryanair customers already using the myRyanair app, it is time to transition the remaining passengers to digital, which will see them reduce their carbon footprint and receive a smoother and enhanced travel experience from November 2025 as Ryanair continues to grow to 300 million passengers over the next decade.”

Editorial credit for picture of Ryanair app: Postmodern Studio / Shutterstock.com