Passenger pulled back after Ryanair window detaches mid-flight over Balkans
A Serbian tourist was hospitalized with friction burns after his head and shoulders were pulled out of a Ryanair plane window that broke during a flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen, authorities said.
A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, returned to its origin after a passenger window detached while the aircraft was over North Macedonia. A Serbian tourist was partially pulled out of the opening; other passengers helped pull him back into his seat. He suffered friction burns but was otherwise in good condition, according to Greek authorities.
A fellow passenger told Radio Thessaloniki that most travelers were asleep when a loud noise, described as similar to a tire bursting, was heard. She said the cabin experienced rapid decompression, oxygen masks deployed, and a strong odor was noted. The woman added that the passenger’s head and shoulders were outside the window but he remained restrained by his seat belt.
Ryanair confirmed that the aircraft landed safely in Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff and that a replacement plane was provided to continue the journey to Memmingen. The airline said the window failure was caused by debris that broke off from one of the engines.
Video circulating on social media showed a broken window and hanging oxygen masks inside the cabin, though no passengers were visible. The incident follows a 2018 U.S. case in which a passenger died after being sucked out of a plane window, an aviation expert previously explained that such an event can occur if a seat belt is not worn.