A Ryanair passenger narrowly escaped more serious injuries after he was partially pulled through a
detached window during a mid-air cabin decompression, with fellow travellers managing to pull him
back into the aircraft.
The Boeing 737-800 was travelling from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, on 10 July
when a passenger window detached shortly after take-off, forcing the aircraft to return to
Thessaloniki.
According to witnesses, a loud bang, described as sounding like a bursting tyre, was followed by a
rapid loss of cabin pressure. Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling as air rushed through the
opening created by the missing window.
A Serbian tourist seated next to the window was caught in the powerful airflow. Witnesses said the
force of the decompression pulled his head and shoulders through the opening, leaving part of his
body outside the aircraft. His seatbelt prevented him from being completely ejected, while nearby
passengers managed to grab hold of him and pull him back inside.
"Most of us had fallen asleep, we had closed our eyes. There was a noise, like a tyre bursting," one
passenger told Radio Thessaloniki.
"We immediately realised there had been a decompression. There were screams... for a moment I
thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door."
She added: "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."
The passenger was hospitalised with friction burns but was reported to be in good condition.
Ryanair said the aircraft "returned to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff when a passenger window
detached during the flight". The airline said the aircraft landed safely and passengers later continued
their journey on a replacement aircraft.
The incident is now under investigation, with North Macedonia leading the probe and support being
provided by the US National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing
and General Electric Aerospace.