Ryanair passenger injured after cabin window fails on flight from Greece
A flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen returned to Greece after a cabin window dislodged, causing a rapid decompression and injuring a passenger. Aviation authorities are investigating the incident to determine the cause of the failure.
A routine morning flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, turned into a mid-air emergency on Friday, 10 July, when a cabin window dislodged, resulting in a passenger being partially pulled from the aircraft. The flight, operated by Malta Air on behalf of Ryanair, departed Thessaloniki early in the morning with a Boeing 737-800.
The incident occurred while the aircraft was climbing. According to passenger accounts, the flight was routine until a sudden, loud sound occurred. One traveler described the noise as like a tire bursting
before the cabin suffered a rapid decompression. Oxygen masks deployed, and the aircraft experienced a sudden loss of altitude. Flight records indicate the jet had climbed past 15,000 feet before descending to approximately 6,000 feet to burn fuel for roughly 30 minutes. The crew ultimately returned to Thessaloniki, landing safely about one hour after departure.
Media additions
During the decompression, a 61-year-old Serbian tourist seated next to the right-side cabin window was partially pulled toward the opening. Witness testimony and reports confirmed that the passenger’s head, neck, and shoulders were outside the fuselage. Fellow passengers, including the man's wife, intervened to restrain him and pull him back into the cabin. The passenger remained secured to his seat by his seat belt, a detail observers noted as critical in preventing a more severe outcome.
Following the emergency landing, emergency services transported the injured passenger to a hospital in Thessaloniki. Official reports state he received treatment for neck and shoulder injuries as well as friction burns. While initial reports focused on the individual pulled from the window, subsequent reporting from the Greek outlet Protothema indicated that a total of four individuals were taken to the hospital, with three of those cases classified as precautionary evaluations.
The investigation into the window failure is ongoing. While Ryanair stated that a window dislodged inflight,
multiple industry sources speaking to news agencies and local media outlets suggested the failure was precipitated by debris that broke off from one of the plane’s engines and struck the cabin wall. This narrative aligns with eyewitness testimony provided to the German outlet Bild, where a passenger described a loud bang as something struck the window.
Aviation authorities are now examining the incident. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency confirmed it is monitoring the situation and coordinating with both the Federal Aviation Administration and the engine manufacturer. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that it stands ready to assist local authorities in the investigation of the U.S.-manufactured Boeing aircraft.
Comparisons have been drawn to a 2018 incident involving a Southwest Airlines flight, where debris from an engine failure struck a cabin window, resulting in a passenger fatality. The aircraft involved—a Boeing 737-800—was delivered new in 2008.
Following the arrival of the original flight back in Greece, Ryanair arranged a replacement aircraft to transport the remaining passengers to Memmingen. That flight departed Thessaloniki at 9:53 local time on Friday.
What to watch next
- Investigation findings: Aviation authorities have yet to issue a formal determination regarding the primary cause of the window failure or confirm if engine debris was responsible.
- Medical recovery: Health officials will continue to monitor the recovery of the hospitalized passengers.
