Ryanair passenger pulled back inside after being sucked out of plane window

A passenger on a Ryanair flight was nearly pulled from the aircraft mid-flight on Friday, 10 July 2026, after a cabin window shattered at altitude. The incident, which forced an immediate return to the departure airport, has prompted an investigation into the Boeing 737-800 involved in the flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany.

The Incident Sequence

The flight departed Thessaloniki as scheduled at 5:55am. Shortly after takeoff, while the aircraft was climbing, witnesses reported a loud noise, which some compared to a bursting tyre. The sound preceded the sudden depressurization of the cabin, causing oxygen masks to deploy throughout the aircraft.

Media additions

According to accounts shared with various outlets, the 61-year-old Serbian national seated in the window row was pulled toward the aperture as the pressure differential took effect. Fellow travellers described the man's head and shoulders being sucked outside the fuselage. One passenger who spoke to Radio Thessaloniki 94.5 noted:

"Most of us had fallen asleep, we had closed our eyes. There was a noise, like a tyre bursting. We immediately realised there had been a decompression. There were screams... for a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door. 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."

Witness, via Radio Thessaloniki 94.5

The man’s wife, alongside other passengers, managed to hold onto him for several minutes until he could be pulled back into the cabin. The flight crew made the decision to return to the departure airport, landing in Thessaloniki approximately one hour and 14 minutes after takeoff. A pregnant woman also on board was taken to a hospital as a precaution but was later cleared by medical staff.

Preliminary Findings and Disagreements

While the airline stated that the window had dislodged during the flight, various reports citing local media speculate on the cause. According to reports from Greek media, the damage may have originated from a piece of debris that detached from one of the plane's engines and struck the window. Visual documentation of the aircraft shows the window glass shattered, with only shards remaining around the frame.

A Ryanair spokesperson confirmed the emergency landing, noting:

"A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on Friday morning (10 July) returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged inflight. The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki."

Ryanair spokesperson, via Newsweek

Status of the Passenger and Operations

According to reports from the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees (POEDIN), the injured man is currently conscious and being treated for friction burns sustained during the incident.

To accommodate those affected, the airline arranged a replacement aircraft, which departed Thessaloniki later on Friday morning at 9:53am. Aviation safety authorities have launched an investigation into the exact failure that led to the window detachment.

Context and Precedent

The incident has drawn comparisons to previous aviation safety events involving window and fuselage integrity. Past occurrences, including an incident in 2018 where a passenger died after engine debris shattered a window, have underscored the vulnerability of cabin apertures during decompression events. In another instance in 2018, a co-pilot was partially pulled from a cockpit window after it failed, requiring the captain to land the aircraft manually. More recently, in January 2024, a door plug blew out of an aircraft mid-flight, sparking a significant federal inquiry into manufacturing records and repair procedures.