Airlines will phase out paper tickets and boarding passes by the end of the decade after they struck an international deal yesterday to let passengers check in by mobile phone.

Airlines will phase out paper tickets and boarding passes by the end of the decade after they struck an international deal yesterday to let passengers check in by mobile phone.

The International Air Transport Association (Iata), which represents most of the world's carriers, said the industry had agreed to replace the old world of magnetic strips and paper with digital barcodes that can be printed out or swiped from the screen of a phone.

The deal, between airlines representing more than nine out of 10 flights worldwide, essentially sets a single standard for the new technology across the globe.

Iata believes the new technology, which is already being trialled in the Far East, could save £250m a year.

Giovanni Bisignani, its director-general and chief executive officer, said: "Passengers want the convenience of self-service options in a paperless environment. This standard is an important step in getting rid of paper that bogs down processes and drives up costs."

Airlines hope that speedier paperless check-in and boarding will help offset some of the passenger frustration brought by increasingly time-consuming security checks at airports.

British Airways is said to be among the first airlines planning to introduce check-in by mobile phone with Virgin and several other rivals also understood to be interested.

Passengers will register their mobile phone number when buying a ticket and receive a barcode by text message.

Check-in staff will scan the barcode directly from the phone's display, doing away with the need for a boarding pass.

Alternatively, passengers will also be able to receive the code by e-mail, which they can then print out.

Iata sources believe some airlines will have the technology up and running as early as next year.

Airports in Beijing and Tokyo already take the fingerprints of passengers for security at check-in, and send a barcode acting as the boarding pass directly to their mobile phone.

Ryanair, the Irish low-cost giant that uses Glasgow Prestwick as its Scottish base, has previously said it is not impressed by the mobile phone check-in plans. The airline, which helped pioneer ticketless travel, is not a member of Iata. Some industry analysts warn that phones are not always reliable, regularly break down or run out of battery life.

The vast majority of airline tickets are already electronic. Only 14% of the 400 million airline tickets processed by Iata every year are pre-printed on paper. A printed ticket costs up to 17 times as much as an electronic one to process.

Ryanair last month introduced a £2 charge for anybody who wanted to check in at its desks. Passengers who travel without any luggage in the hold can check in online for free. However, the airline does not allow free web check-ins for people travelling with babies or baby buggies, unaccompanied teenagers and anybody travelling from Italy.

Budget rivals earlier this month said that passengers will have to pay for all luggage going into the holds of its planes. Passengers who book online pay £2 for every bag they put in the hold. Airport transactions cost £5 per bag.