A passenger narrowly avoided being pulled out of a Ryanair aircraft after a cabin window reportedly became dislodged during a flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany.
Flight tracking data indicated the aircraft had been airborne for about 10 minutes before making a rapid descent of approximately 9,000 feet (2,700 metres). Passengers told local media they heard what sounded like “some kind of explosion” moments before the emergency unfolded.
According to witnesses, a 61-year-old Serbian passenger was partially pulled through the damaged window, with his head and shoulders outside the aircraft before fellow passengers managed to drag him back inside. Michalis Giannakos, president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees, said the man’s wife held onto his legs for around five minutes to prevent him from being sucked out of the aircraft.
In a statement, Ryanair confirmed that its Friday morning service returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off because “a passenger window dislodged in flight”. The airline said the aircraft landed safely, passengers were taken back to the terminal, and one traveller received medical attention upon arrival. Ryanair added that a replacement aircraft was later arranged to complete the journey to Memmingen.
Passengers claimed the damaged window may have been struck by debris from one of the aircraft’s engines, although Ryanair has not commented on those allegations.
“We immediately realised there had been a decompression. There were screams… for a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door,” Christina, a fellow passenger, told Radio Thessaloniki.
“The masks dropped and there was a strong smell. The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn’t taken off his seat belt.”
Another passenger, Sofia, described the frightening ordeal, saying: “When the oxygen masks dropped, we had no idea what was going to happen. We didn’t know whether we would make it back. We were sitting at the back of the aircraft, and we realised there had been some kind of explosion.
“We thought the plane was going down. The decompression was extreme. It felt like we couldn’t breathe. The man who was injured was bleeding and then lost consciousness several times, most likely because of the lack of oxygen and the shock,” Sofia added.
Giannakos later confirmed the injured passenger was receiving treatment for friction burns at a Greek hospital.
“He is in shock, remains conscious,” he added.
The aircraft involved, believed to be an 18-year-old jet, was operated by Ryanair subsidiary Malta Air.
Thessaloniki Airport operator Fraport Greece said the incident is under investigation by the Hellenic Air and Rail Safety Investigation Authority.
Fraport Greece added that it “is fully co-operating with all relevant stakeholders and has activated the established emergency response procedures following the aircraft’s forced return”.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said it was aware of the incident and would provide any necessary support to investigators.
Commenting on the incident, retired airline pilot Chris Brady said the outcome could have been far more serious if the injured passenger had not been wearing a seat belt.
“We do, as captains always say to the passengers, please keep your seat belts fastened as a precaution in flight, even when we switch the belt signs off.
“And it’s for exactly this sort of thing or for turbulence encounters or whatever. So it is good practice to leave your seat belts on,” he said.
The incident has drawn comparisons to a 2018 Southwest Airlines accident in the United States, where a passenger died after debris from a damaged engine shattered a cabin window, causing her to be partially pulled out of the aircraft.
