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Ryanair plans to close its airport check-in desks by the end of the year and make passengers check in online to reduce costs, it was revealed today.

Officials at the Irish airline said by reducing its costs at airports, savings will be passed on to passengers through lower fares.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary told the Daily Telegraph that passengers will be able to leave their luggage at a bag drop but otherwise everything will be done online.

“Ultimately, we want just one in five people to check in luggage,” he said. The carrier said that 97 per cent of passengers booked online already and 75 per cent used the internet to check in.

Spokesman Stephen McNamara said the airline saw the move as the “logical next step” in an effort to pass on savings to passengers through reduced fares.

The plan has emerged days after Ryanair launched an in-flight mobile phone service that will eventually be extended to its entire fleet of more than 170 planes.

Available initially on 20 Ryanair aircraft, the system will soon allow passengers to make and receive mobile calls and texts on all Ryanair aircraft.