Ryanair flight returns after passenger nearly sucked out of window

Flight timeline and immediate aftermath

A Ryanair service operated by its Malta Air subsidiary departed Thessaloniki bound for Memmingen. Tracking data indicates the aircraft was airborne for roughly ten minutes before a rapid loss of cabin pressure forced the crew to turn back. During that interval the plane dropped about 9,000 ft (2,700m).

The incident began when debris from the right‑hand engine struck the fuselage, shattering the passenger window adjacent to the husband. The opening created an instant decompression.

Media additions

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

Christina, passenger, via Radio Thessaloniki

Because the aircraft, a Boeing 737‑800 approximately 18 years old, could no longer continue safely, the pilots aborted the flight and returned to Thessaloniki. The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal.

What passengers saw and did

Serbian traveller Ljubiša Karović was seated next to his wife Svetlana Grković when the window blew out. A fellow passenger later told Greek broadcaster ERT that “the man’s head and shoulders were sticking out of the broken window.”

"It was as if a part of the engine broke off and hit the window next to which my husband Ljubiša was sitting."

Svetlana Grković, passenger, via Nova

Svetlana immediately grasped her husband’s legs, while others helped hold him.

"I thought: 'If we die, we die together.' It was horrible."

Svetlana Grković, passenger, via NewstalkZB

Other witnesses described the scene as extremely frightening. A passenger identified as Sofia recalled, “We thought the plane was going down. The decompression was extreme. It felt like we couldn't breathe. The man who was injured was bleeding and then lost consciousness several times, most likely because of the lack of oxygen and the shock.”

Technical assessment and possible cause

A technical adviser appointed by the Karović family has suggested that the incident began with a failure in the aircraft's right engine, causing debris to strike and shatter the cabin window. This hypothesis has not been confirmed by investigators.

Official response and investigation

Ryanair issued a statement confirming that a passenger window dislodged in flight and that the aircraft landed normally, with one passenger receiving medical assistance on the ground.

Thessaloniki airport operator Fraport Greece said the incident is under investigation by the Hellenic Air and Rail Safety Investigation Authority. Because the aircraft is a US‑built Boeing 737-800 and the incident occurred in North Macedonian airspace, investigators from multiple international aviation authorities are assisting the investigation, including Boeing, the US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

Local media reported that 61-year-old Ljubiša Karović remained in hospital following the event.

Medical aftermath for the passengers

Svetlana described her husband as “seriously injured and in shock,” noting that his hand was “particularly badly injured,” he has burns, and that he “doesn’t remember the whole event.” She also said that any mention of aeroplanes triggers a “terrible sense of suffocation,” even in unrelated settings such as an elevator.

One pregnant passenger requested and received precautionary medical care but was released shortly after treatment.