Terrifying moments unfolded aboard a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen, Germany, when a passenger was nearly pulled out of the aircraft after a cabin window detached during the flight.
According to eyewitnesses, the 61-year-old Serbian passenger was left with his head and shoulders outside the aircraft, while his wife and fellow passengers struggled to hold on to him before eventually pulling him back inside.
Panic shortly after take-off
The flight departed from Thessaloniki on Friday morning bound for southern Germany. Flight tracking data indicates that around ten minutes after take-off, the Boeing 737 rapidly descended by approximately 9,000 feet following a sudden cabin depressurisation.
Passengers told local media they heard a loud bang before oxygen masks deployed throughout the cabin, triggering panic.
“We immediately realised the cabin had depressurised. People were screaming, and for a moment I thought an emergency exit door had opened,” one passenger recalled.
“His head and shoulders were outside the plane”
Witnesses said the man, who was seated next to the window, was violently pulled towards the opening created when the window detached, leaving his head and shoulders outside the aircraft.
“Thankfully, he still had his seatbelt fastened,” one passenger said, adding that his wife held onto his legs for around five minutes until other passengers rushed over to help pull him back into the cabin.
Another passenger said the decompression was so severe that many people struggled to breathe, while the injured man suffered bleeding and reportedly lost consciousness several times, likely due to the lack of oxygen and the shock.
Passenger hospitalised
Michalis Giannakos, President of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees, said the 61-year-old Serbian national is being treated for friction burns and remains in shock, although he is fully conscious.
Ryanair statement
Ryanair confirmed that the flight returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off after a passenger window became detached during the flight.
The airline said the aircraft landed safely, passengers returned to the terminal, and one passenger received medical attention after landing. A replacement aircraft later transported passengers to their destination.
Investigation underway
According to passengers, the window may have been struck by debris from the aircraft’s engine, although Ryanair has not confirmed this scenario.
The approximately 18-year-old aircraft was being operated by Malta Air, a Ryanair subsidiary.
Fraport Greece said the incident is being investigated by the Hellenic Air and Rail Accident Investigation Authority, with all relevant authorities cooperating to determine the exact cause of the incident.
Seatbelt prevented a tragedy
Former airline captain Chris Brady said the outcome could have been far worse had the passenger not been wearing his seatbelt.
He noted that pilots advise passengers to keep their seatbelts fastened even after the seatbelt sign is switched off precisely because unexpected events, such as severe turbulence or incidents like this, can occur without warning.
Sources: Protothema.gr, Phileleutheros.cy
