A passenger on a Ryanair plane reportedly almost fell out of the cabin window mid-air.
Witnesses told local media that the man, who was a Serbian national in his 60s, hung shoulder-length out of the window for several minutes before other passengers on the flight managed to pull him back inside.
In a statement, Ryanair said its Friday morning flight from the Greek city of Thessaloniki to Memmingen, Germany “turned back shortly after takeoff when a passenger window was dislodged”.
It continued: “The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki.”
The Irish budget airline said that several hours later “arrangements were made for a replacement aircraft to bring the passengers to Memmingen”.
Media reports in Greece and Germany quoted passengers as saying that a massive explosion occurred immediately after the Boeing 737 took off, causing windows to shatter and oxygen masks to fall from the roof.
They believe the window was broken by fragments of the jet’s engine – although Ryanair has not commented.
Christina, a fellow passenger, told Radio Thessaloniki, “We immediately realized that decompression had occurred. There were screams… For a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door.”
“The mask fell off and there was a strong smell. One passenger’s head and shoulders were outside the window. Fortunately, he had not taken off his seat belt.”
The aircraft – believed to be an 18-year-old aircraft – was operated by Malta Air, a subsidiary of Ryanair.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) later told the BBC that it was “aware of the incident involving a Ryanair Group aircraft registered and operated by Malta Air departing Thessaloniki this morning”.
It added, “The IAA will provide any requested assistance to the Aviation Safety Investigation Authority in Greece and the Maltese Civil Aviation Directorate to assist in their investigations.”
In 2018, a passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight in the US died after debris from the damaged engine broke her window and partially ejected her.
