With e-transactions becoming popular, thanks to the advent of near-field communication technology, researchers predict that issuing boarding passes via apps will become commonplace in the next five years.

According to a new study "Mobile & Online Ticketing: Transport, Events & NFC 2015-2019" conducted by researchers at the Juniper Research firm in the U.K., by 2019, nearly one in every three boarding passes will be issued via smartphone apps.

"New research from leading analysts, Juniper Research, finds that over 1.5 billion boarding passes will be delivered via mobile by 2019, compared to approximately 745 million boarding passes estimated to be delivered this year," stated the firm.

The study also discloses that frequent flyers prefer mobile boarding passes via apps as they are familiar with this technology. By comparison, leisure passengers tend not to use this technology as often, possibly because they are not familiar with it.

According to Specialists in Air Transport Communications and IT Solutions (SITA), 53 percent of airlines currently issue mobile boarding passes via apps. This number is anticipated to increase to 91 percent in the next two years.

While several airlines have implemented this technology already, the rate of adoption is the quickest in the U.S., Europe and Far East when compared with other regions.

Nitin Bhas, author of the study, said the only way in which NFC can become the dominant force in the airline sector is if the boarding pass becomes extinct. NFC readers would basically host the passenger's pass, identity details, or baggage tickets, which would be accessible with ease.

However, a stumbling block could be the successful adoption of mobile barcode boarding passes by passengers as this would delay the swift and seamless transition to NFC. Moreover, Bhas feels that airports and airlines need to be in agreement and also invest in the technology to promote it.

The study also reveals that the metro/bus area will rule the mobile ticketing transaction numbers game because of the frequent rate of purchase by consumers. Moreover, NFC-ticketing on metros or buses is also anticipated to gain popularity in the near term in Asian and European markets as the infrastructure in these areas sees advancement.

Photo: British Airways | Flickr