Air ticket becomes paperless from June, amid industry gloom

According to a conservative estimate, the average cost of processing paper ticket was $10 while that of processing e-ticket is $1.

E-tickets usher in "the beginning of a new, more convenient and more efficient era for air travel," IATA director general Giovanni Bisignani said.

While the history of paper tickets dates back to 1920s, the first e-ticket was issued in 1994. By 1997, IATA adopted the global standard for e-ticketing and deployed a global team of 150 people to work with various airlines and system providers around the world to facilitate implementation and transition.

According to IATA, international airlines will implement the move with immediate effect while some time has been given to domestic carriers to make the transition.

Only in unique and exceptional circumstances will a paper ticket be issued to a passenger, IATA said. For instance, the airlines can continue issuing paper tickets alongside e-tickets as some smaller airports are still not ready for the change.

If a passenger insists on having a paper ticket, he or she can contact the relevant airline through the travel agent and get one, the aviation body said.