Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, has announced that it will delay the transition to exclusively digital boarding passes until November 3, 2025, moving from the previously planned date in May.

This change means that from November 2025, passengers will no longer need to print physical boarding passes; instead, they will use digital versions generated through the “myRyanair” app during check-in. Currently, approximately 80% of Ryanair’s 200 million annual passengers already utilize digital boarding passes.

As a result of this customer initiative, Ryanair expects to eliminate almost all airport check-in fees from Nov 2025, as all passengers will have checked in online/in-app to generate their digital boarding pass.

Ryanair’s move to entirely paperless boarding from Nov 2025 will enable passengers to reduce their carbon footprint by eliminating unnecessary paper, saving over 300 tonnes of paper waste each year. As well as being better for the environment, using the myRyanair app also enhances customers’ travel experience as they benefit from a range of helpful in-app features and initiatives (especially during disruption), including:

• The new Order to Seat feature allows passengers to order directly from their seats & get served first
• Live flight information and updates
• Direct updates from Ryanair’s operations centre during disruption
• Terminal, Gate, and Boarding status updates
• Real-time alternative flight options during disruption
• All travel documents accessible in one convenient place

Ryanair CMO, Dara Brady, said:

“Ryanair is Europe’s No.1 airline for choice, low fares, and customer service. 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.”

Final thoughts about Ryanair digital boarding passes

Ryanair’s transition to exclusively digital boarding passes from November 3, 2025, aims to enhance the customer experience, eliminate airport check-in fees, and save over 300 tons of paper waste annually. While the industry trends toward digitalization, a complete transition to paperless boarding passes across all airlines has not yet occurred. Factors such as local regulations and passenger preferences contribute to the continued availability of paper boarding passes in many cases.