Ryanair Passenger Nearly Dragged Out Window During Flight Incident

A Ryanair passenger was almost dragged out of a mid-air window when it blew out on a flight to Germany, with fellow travellers hauling him back inside in a frantic struggle, witnesses and officials said Friday.

The drama unfolded on a flight from Thessaloniki in Greece to Memmingen in Germany. The man, described as a tourist from Serbia, suffered friction burns but is in otherwise good condition in hospital, authorities said.

“Most of us had fallen asleep, we had closed our eyes. There was a noise, like a tire bursting,” one passenger told Radio Thessaloniki, according to AFP. The cabin changed in an instant. “We immediately realised there had been a decompression. There were screams ... for a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door,” she said.

Oxygen masks dropped. A strong smell filled the cabin. Amid the chaos, one man was in immediate danger.

“The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn't taken off his seat belt,” the woman said. Passengers nearby grabbed him and pulled him back in, fighting the force of the rushing air.

Greek media reported that the incident happened over North Macedonia and that the window was shattered by debris that had broken off one of the aircraft’s engines.

Ryanair said in a statement that the flight “returned to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff when a passenger window detached during the flight. The aircraft landed normally and the passengers returned to the terminal.”

The airline provided a replacement aircraft to complete the journey to Memmingen for the remaining passengers.