A Ryanair passenger was partially sucked out of a broken plane window during a chaotic flight to Germany on Friday, according to reports. The Serbian passenger, 61, was pulled through the window up to his shoulders after it suddenly dislodged on the way from Thessaloniki to Memmingen early on Friday morning. The passenger’s wife played a crucial role in preventing a potentially disastrous outcome, holding him down for five minutes to stop him from falling out of the plane.
Witnesses claimed that the passenger was being treated for friction burns after the incident. With the help of many passengers, they managed to pull him into the cabin. The incident occurred when a loud bang was heard on board, followed by the window rupturing and the cabin depressurising.
Oxygen masks fell down from the ceiling, and passengers reported screams and commotion. A fellow traveller described the noise as ‘like a tyre bursting’, while another passenger said that something smashed against the window, shattering it. The pilot returned to Thessaloniki airport, and the passenger was promptly taken to hospital in an ambulance.
A second flight then ferried the other passengers to Germany. Four people were taken to hospital, including one with minor injuries, and the other three for ‘precautionary reasons’. The passenger who was pulled through the window was conscious but in a state of shock and under medical supervision.
Greek media reported that the plane’s engine had suffered a malfunction, although Ryanair did not comment on this report. A spokesperson for Ryanair confirmed that a passenger window dislodged inflight, and a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen.
