October 2, 2025, 7:18 am | Read time: 2 minutes
Ryanair, the low-cost airline, will soon end the use of physical paper boarding passes. Starting November 12, only digital tickets will be available, and passengers will need a smartphone to board.
Although digital boarding passes are already widespread, many passengers still prefer to print their tickets on paper. This could be to have it directly in hand or because they might not own a smartphone. With the switch to 100 percent digital boarding passes, printing Ryanair tickets will no longer be possible from November 12, 2025. The airline will rely solely on digital tickets, which will be generated during check-in in the “myRyanair” app and must be presented at the airport.
Ryanair Relies on Digital Tickets
The transition was initially planned for November 3, but to ensure a smooth transition for customers, the start was postponed to the less busy travel period after the fall holidays. Ryanair states in a release that already 80 percent of over 206 million passengers use digital boarding passes. The remaining 20 percent will now also be required to do so. The airline follows the example of other major ticket industries such as festivals, music, and sports events, which have successfully switched to purely digital tickets, according to the release.
Dara Brady, CMO of Ryanair, also explains that passengers will benefit from useful features like Order to Seat and real-time flight information thanks to the app.
Paper Boarding Passes at the Check-in Counter
Ryanair justifies the digital tickets with benefits for passengers–but what if someone doesn’t own a smartphone or the battery is dead when they want to board the plane?
Euronews reports that travelers, according to Ryanair, can obtain a paper boarding pass at the airport check-in counter. This is free of charge, provided they have already checked in online.