Ryanair Passenger Nearly Sucked Out of Window During Flight from Greece to Germany

A 60-year-old Serbian tourist was nearly pulled out of a window on a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, on Friday morning. The incident occurred shortly after takeoff when a window detached, causing a sudden drop in cabin pressure. Witnesses described hearing a loud noise like a tire explosion, followed by oxygen masks dropping from the ceiling. The passenger's head and shoulders were outside the window for several minutes before nearby travelers helped pull him back inside. He was hospitalized with friction burns but is in good condition.

The flight, operated by Malta Air, a Ryanair subsidiary, returned to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff and landed normally. Ryanair arranged a replacement aircraft to continue the journey to Memmingen a few hours later. Greek media reported the window broke due to a part detaching from one of the plane's engines, though Ryanair did not confirm this. The Irish Aviation Authority is aware of the incident and will assist Greek and Maltese aviation safety authorities in the investigation.

This event echoes a 2018 Southwest Airlines accident in the US, where a passenger was partially sucked out after an engine failure caused a window to break. The Ryanair flight involved a Boeing 737 estimated to be 18 years old. Passengers described the frightening experience, including screams and the strong smell inside the cabin during the decompression.

Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the window failure and the engine part detachment to prevent future incidents.