Ryanair mid-air scare: How a passenger was nearly sucked out of airplane

A mid-air tragedy was reported on a Ryanair flight after a passenger nearly sucked out of the window after it “detached” mid-air during a journey from Greece to Germany. The passenger was left hanging head out of the window for several minutes after an engine failure caused parts to shatter the acrylic window, according to local reports.

The incident occurred on Ryanair flight FR1879, a Boeing 737, which was scheduled to depart from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, near Munich, Germany, today (July 10). Following the minor tragedy, the flight was then forced to make an emergency landing. The plane had climbed to 16,000 feet before turning back to land. 

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The passenger, identified as a 61-year-old Serbian, survived and was hospitalised with friction burns.

Passenger sucked out of Boeing 737 window

Eyewitnesses told the local media that a Serbian citizen was saved after other passengers on the flight pulled him back inside. Passengers, who spoke to publications in Greece and Germany, described that shortly after takeoff, a loud bang was heard, followed by windows breaking and oxygen masks falling from the ceiling.

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"Most of us had fallen asleep; we had closed our eyes. There was a noise, like a tyre bursting," Christina, a fellow 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,” Christina 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."

Images and videos circulating online show that the smashed window caused cabin depressurisation, prompting oxygen masks to deploy from the overhead panels.

“Almost a tragedy”

The president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees said the incident was “almost a tragedy”.

"A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on Friday morning returned to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff when a passenger window dislodged inflight," A Ryanair spokesperson said, according to the Guardian.

“The aircraft landed normally, and passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki.

Adding, "In order to minimise any delay, a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen, which departed Thessaloniki at 9.53 am local time this morning.”

A similar incident took place in 2024, when a cabin panel detached from an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 during flight, forcing the aircraft—carrying over170 passengers and six crew members—to make an emergency landing.

With inputs from agencies