Ryanair has said it will delay introducing its new cabin bag policy until January.

The changes - which mean most passengers will only be allowed bring one small carry-on bag on board flights - had been due to come into effect from November 1st.

However, the airline says its delaying the changes until January 15th "to allow customers more time to adjust to the changes, particularly during the busy Christmas period".

Under the new rules, priority boarding customers will still be allowed bring two bags on board flights.

However, all-other passengers will have their bigger wheelie bags placed in the hold at the boarding gate.

It comes as part of the airline's bid to discourage passengers bringing carry-on bags.

Other changes - including a €10 reduction in the check-in bag fee and a 5 kg increase to the check-in bag allowance - have been in place since last month.

Ryanair spokesperson Kenny Jacobs explained: "From January, we will be restricting non-priority customers to one small carry-on bag (their wheelie bag will be placed in the hold, free of charge at the boarding gate) which will speed up the boarding of flights and eliminate flight delays.

"We have already introduced the first phase of the new bag policy which offers our customers lower bag fees for a 33% increase in their check-in bag allowance. This will lead to fewer customers with 2 carry-on bags at the boarding gates, which is causing flight delays."

Ryanair introduced an allowance for a second carry-on bag back in 2013.