Over 1.5bn boarding passes will be delivered via mobile by 2019 – a third of all passes issued by airlines.

Thats according to a report from Juniper Research, which predicts a CAGR of 19.1 per cent over the next five years, as the number of mobile boarding passes delivered from 2015s expected figure of 745m.

This growth will be driven by frequent flyers, who are more likely to use the technology than leisure passengers, with rapid growth in markets such as the US, Far East and Europe.

Juniper cites SITA research which shows that 53 per cent of airlines have already implemented mobile boarding passes in their apps, a figure expected to rise to 91 per cent by 2017.

However, the report notes, airlines are likely to stick with the already-proven method of mobile barcodes for scanning boarding passes, rather than making the move to NFC.

“The ultimate position that NFC can reach in the airline industry is the extinction of the boarding pass, whereby boarding pass, baggage tickets and identity information can be stored on the phone and simply accessed using NFC readers,” said research author Nitin Bhas. “However, this transition will not only be delayed by the success of barcode, but also the need to gain agreement and investment from airlines and airports around the world.”