Ryanair to Scrap Paper Boarding Passes for Portugal Passengers on 12 November

Ryanair is about to consign the familiar sheet of A4 to history. On Wednesday, 12 November the low-cost carrier will switch entirely to digital boarding passes, a move the company says will deliver a quicker journey through the airport, fewer queues at the gate and a lighter carbon footprint. For the roughly 20 % of travellers who still print their pass—many of them flying to or from Portugal—a new routine is coming, complete with advantages, caveats and a few geographic exceptions.

Portugal flyers at the heart of a new boarding era

Flights linking Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Ponta Delgada and Funchal with Ryanair’s European network carried more than 11 M passengers last year, making the Irish airline the second-largest operator in Portuguese skies. Company data show that 4 in every 5 customers already board with a smartphone scan, a figure in line with Portugal’s high smartphone penetration, estimated at 87 % by the National Communications Authority. The carrier now wants the remaining cohort to embrace its myRyanair app, arguing that a uniform process will shorten queues at security and help turn aircraft around within the fabled 25-minute window.

What disappears on 12 November

From the moment check-in opens—24 h before departure on most tickets—passengers will no longer find the familiar PDF to print at home. Instead, a QR-coded pass appears automatically inside the app, where it will stay accessible offline once downloaded. Ryanair insists that anyone who completes online check-in but later loses a phone, runs out of battery or simply prefers paper will still be helped. Airport staff will issue a physical pass free of charge as long as the digital check-in was completed on time. Those who arrive at the counter without having checked in online, however, face the unchanged €55 airport check-in fee.

The convenience pitch – and its fine print

Ryanair is promoting the change as “faster, smarter and greener”. The app has been rebuilt around real-time features such as live gate alerts, seat-back ordering for snacks coined “Order to Seat”, immediate rerouting options during disruption and a wallet for passports, visas and Covid certificates. Yet a closer read of the terms shows that the airline reserves the right to withdraw in-app rebooking offers when events are classified as “extraordinary circumstances”, meaning the old customer-service hotline could remain the last resort during severe weather or air-traffic strikes.

The uneasy 20 %: seniors and low-tech travellers

Consumer-rights association DECO Proteste warns that a full digital pivot risks sidelining travellers who lack either devices or confidence. The group has asked the Civil Aviation Authority to guarantee that check-in desks at Lisbon and Porto retain enough staff to assist elderly passengers. Ryanair’s chief marketing officer Dara Brady argues the safeguard is already in place because printed passes will be issued free where necessary. Even so, DECO points out that the process still demands online check-in, a step that requires internet access and a certain degree of digital literacy.

What stays on paper in Morocco, Turkey and beyond

A handful of destinations remain immune to the rule. Airports across Morocco, most terminals in Turkey and the route from Tirana to the United Kingdom still refuse digital passes for border-control reasons. Travellers on those legs must print after online check-in or collect a paper copy at the desk. Ryanair says affected customers receive email reminders 48 h and 24 h before departure and will not be charged for the printout. The airline expects Albania to accept mobile passes by March 2026, shaving the list of exceptions even further.

Green credentials or cost cutting?

Eliminating boarding-pass printers at 200+ airports will, according to company estimates, save 300 t of paper each year—roughly the weight of a fully-loaded Boeing 737-800. Environmental campaigners welcome any reduction in single-use paper but note that the largest share of aviation emissions comes from fuel burn, not stationery. Analysts at Dublin-based Goodbody Stockbrokers add that the digital mandate also trims airport handling costs, supporting Ryanair’s ambition to keep average fares below €50.

Regulatory and consumer watchdog reactions

In Brussels, members of the European Parliament’s Transport Committee have reminded airlines that passengers “must be free to choose” between digital and physical documents. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency allows electronic credentials provided they offer the same traceability and integrity as paper, but has not endorsed making them compulsory. For its part, Portugal’s National Civil Aviation Authority says it will monitor implementation at national airports to ensure no-one is denied boarding for lack of a smartphone.

Preparing for your next trip

Portuguese residents booked on Ryanair flights after 12 November should download the latest version of the app well before travel, complete online check-in as usual and verify that the boarding pass appears in the ‘Trips’ tab. A screenshot is not accepted at security, so keeping the app updated and the phone sufficiently charged remains essential. If in doubt, arrive a little earlier: the carrier maintains that a free printout is available, but only to those who have already clicked “Check-in” the night before. As the era of the paper pass ends, the best insurance is a few taps on a screen—and perhaps a power bank in the hand luggage.