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🇧🇩 Bangladesh /Disasters & Emergencies

Ryanair flight passenger nearly sucked out window after mid-air detachment

From Daily Star · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A passenger was nearly sucked out of a Ryanair flight window that detached mid-air en route to Germany.
  • Other passengers managed to pull the man, identified as a tourist from Serbia, back inside the cabin.
  • The flight returned to Thessaloniki, Greece, where passengers were transferred to a replacement aircraft.

A passenger narrowly escaped being pulled out of a Ryanair flight when a window detached mid-air during a flight to Germany. The incident occurred on a flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany. Witnesses reported hearing a noise like a "tyre bursting" shortly after takeoff, followed by screams and a decompression event.

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

— Fellow passengerDescribing the initial moments of the incident.

According to a fellow passenger, the head and shoulders of one man were outside the window. Fortunately, he had not unbuckled his seatbelt, and passengers seated nearby were able to pull him back into the cabin. The man, described as a tourist from Serbia, was hospitalized with friction burns but was reported to be in good condition.

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

— Fellow passengerRecounting the immediate aftermath of the window detachment.

Greek media suggested the window may have been broken by debris from one of the plane's engines, with the incident occurring over North Macedonia. The cabin masks dropped due to the decompression, and a strong smell was noted by passengers.

The masks dropped, and there was a strong smell. The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn't taken off his seat belt.

— Fellow passengerDetailing the terrifying scene and the passenger's precarious situation.

Ryanair confirmed the flight returned to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff due to the detached window. The airline provided a replacement aircraft to transport the remaining passengers to their destination in Memmingen.

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.

— RyanairThe airline's official statement confirming the incident and the safe landing.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Daily Star in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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