Passenger partly sucked from Ryanair plane during flight

A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, made an emergency return to Thessaloniki on Friday after a passenger window dislodged shortly after takeoff, causing a partial decompression and a passenger to be partially sucked out of the aircraft.

The airline confirmed that the aircraft, a Boeing 737, returned to Thessaloniki after “a passenger window dislodged in-flight.” The passenger, a 61-year-old Serbian national, was transferred to Thessaloniki's AHEPA University General Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, according to the Serbian consulate.

According to a witness speaking to Radio Thessaloniki, the passenger’s head and shoulders were pulled outside the aircraft due to the pressure difference before fellow passengers, including his wife, pulled him back to safety. The passenger had kept his seatbelt fastened, which likely prevented him from being pulled farther out, the witness said.

Greek media reported that a piece of engine broke off and smashed the window early in the flight, causing the cabin to decompress. Two sources with knowledge of the incident relayed the same details to Reuters, though Ryanair did not identify the cause. Video posted on social media appeared to show an uncontained engine failure with fan blades missing.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said, “The aircraft landed normally and passengers were returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki. In order to minimize any delay, a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen, which departed Thessaloniki at 9.53am local time this morning.”

Boeing said it was assisting the investigation, which is being led by North Macedonia because the incident occurred in its airspace. “We remain in contact with and continue to support our customer, Ryanair,” the company said.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the plane was a Boeing 737 NG, the version preceding the current MAX generation. The plane was also identified as a Boeing 737-800.

A trade union official described the incident as “almost a tragedy.” Images and videos showed oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling as the cabin depressurized.

The incident occurred on Ryanair flight FR1879, which was operated by the Ryanair subsidiary Malta Air. Flight data showed the plane was airborne for just over an hour and reached 16,000 feet before descending back to Thessaloniki.