Passenger nearly pulled from Ryanair plane as window detaches mid-flight

A terrifying mid-flight incident saw a passenger on a Ryanair flight from Greece to Germany nearly sucked out of the aircraft when a cabin window detached.

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Most of us had fallen asleep, we had closed our eyes. There was a noise, like a tyre bursting.

Witnesses described hearing a loud noise, like a tire bursting, followed by screams and a sudden loss of cabin pressure. One passenger recounted seeing the "head and shoulders of one passenger outside the window." Fortunately, the man had not unbuckled his seatbelt and was pulled back inside by other passengers.

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We immediately realised there had been a decompression. There were screams ... for a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door.

The flight, en route from Thessaloniki to Memmingen, was forced to return to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff. Ryanair confirmed the "passenger window detachment" and stated that a replacement aircraft was arranged for the remaining passengers. The passenger who was partially outside the aircraft was hospitalized with friction burns but is reported to be in stable condition.

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The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn't taken off his seat belt.

Greek media reported the incident occurred over North Macedonia, and authorities are investigating whether the window detachment was linked to debris from one of the aircraft's engines. Visuals from the scene showed oxygen masks deployed and damage to the cabin window area.

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The flight returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off when a passenger window detached during the flight. The aircraft landed normally and the passengers returned to the terminal.