Change to Ryanair boarding process delayed to November 2025: French flights affected
Airline also encourages more people to use its app as part of digital shift
The changes were originally scheduled for May 2025
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Plans by low-cost carrier Ryanair to phase out physical boarding passes have been delayed to November 2025.
Originally set to come into force in May, the airline will continue to accept paper boarding passes until November 3 (the start of its winter schedule) it announced in a press release.
It also means passengers will not have the option of checking-in physically at the airport, as it must be done digitally to obtain a boarding pass.
The airline did not give a reason for the delay in its press release.
Ryanair hopes the move will encourage more users to download the airline’s app.
“Like other ticket industries (concert, 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,” said the airline’s CMO Dara Brady.
Use of the application “will be particularly useful to passengers during disruptions as it will facilitate real-time updates from our Ops Centre directly to passengers’ phones,” he added.
The app “will also provide them with alternative flight options, and offer transfers or hotel accommodation options when necessary.”
Read more: What is the best way to travel between London and Paris?
Costs cut amid tax hike
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,” the press release states.
In addition to allowing Ryanair to save costs on their check-in desks in airports – cutting operating costs for the airline – the move will save up to 300 tonnes of paper each year it estimates.
These savings come as airline taxes in France have recently increased as part of the 2025 budget, and will potentially help to offset this rise for the airline.
Read more: Low-cost airline to charge passengers extra tax on already booked French flights
Ryanair was vehemently opposed to the taxes when originally announced by former prime minister Michel Barnier at the end of 2024, threatening to pull out of many of the regional airports in France.
A watered-down version of the taxes was included in the now-passed budget of prime minister François Bayrou, however Ryanair is yet to announce if they will go through with their threat.
Read more: French regional airports’ anxious wait for Ryanair decision
