Europe’s largest low-cost airline, Ryanair, will stop accepting printed boarding passes from 12 November 2025, introducing a 100% digital check-in system that requires passengers to use the Ryanair app to download and present their boarding passes on smartphones.
The airline says the new policy will make travel faster, greener, and more efficient, cutting paper waste by about 300 tonnes a year and aligning air travel with other sectors – such as music festivals and sporting events – that have already transitioned to digital-only ticketing. According to Ryanair, more than 80% of passengers already use digital passes, and the company expects the change to encourage the remaining travellers to move onto its app.
Speaking to British media, Chief executive Michael O’Leary defended the decision, saying that most passengers already check in online and that older travellers will not be left behind. Those without smartphones, he said, can still collect a boarding pass at the airport ticket desk at no extra cost provided they have checked in online beforehand. However, passengers who fail to check in before arriving at the airport will continue to face an airport check-in fee.
Critics of the move, including UK charity associations, point out the existence of a significant amount of people who don’t own smartphones or who are not tech-savvy, and the distress that the full-digital decision might cause them, potentially leading to the inability to fly.
In Portugal, despite Ryanair’s assurance that there are safeguards in place preventing people from being left behind, Portuguese Consumer Defence association (DECO) has called on the National Aviation Authority (ANAC) and the Public Prosecutor’s office to block the discriminatory move, which they consider abusive, as it forces passengers – unjustifiably, according to the association – to download the company’s app and be able to use a smartphone.
DECO has been critical of the company in the past regarding abusive practices, including the decision to introduce the aforementioned airport check-in fee.
In October, a question was raised at the European Parliament regarding whether Ryanair’s decision conflicted with the EU’s principles of non-discrimination and passenger protection laws.
While Ryanair insists the change will simplify the customer experience, no other major European airlines have adopted a similar digital-only policy at the moment.
