A Ryanair flight from Greece to Germany had to return to the airport after a cabin window detached mid-flight. A 60-year-old male passenger was nearly sucked out of the plane but was saved when other passengers pulled him back inside.
On 10 July 2026, BBC News reported a dramatic incident on a Ryanair flight when a cabin window detached during flight, nearly sucking a male passenger out. He survived thanks to other passengers who helped pull him back aboard.
An eyewitness passenger described how the Serbian man, around 60 years old, was pulled by the air pressure so that his head and shoulders extended outside the window for several minutes before others managed to pull him back inside the cabin.
Ryanair released a statement saying that on Friday morning, the flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, had to turn back shortly after takeoff due to a "cabin window detaching during flight."
The airline confirmed the plane landed safely and all passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger requested medical assistance after landing at Thessaloniki airport. Ryanair arranged another aircraft to continue the journey several hours later.
Multiple passengers told Greek and German media that shortly after the Boeing 737 took off, a loud noise was heard, the window shattered, oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling, and cabin depressurization occurred. Some believe debris from the engine may have struck the window, though Ryanair has not commented on this speculation.
A female passenger said everyone immediately realized the cabin had depressurized; people screamed. At first, she thought someone had accidentally opened an emergency door, but then saw a man’s head and shoulders being sucked out of the window. Fortunately, he was still wearing his seatbelt, preventing him from being pulled out of the plane.
Reports indicate the aircraft is about 18 years old and operated by Malta Air, a Ryanair subsidiary. The Irish Aviation Authority has acknowledged the incident and is cooperating with Greek air accident investigators and Malta’s civil aviation authority to investigate the cause.
Source: BBC