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Ryanair passenger partially sucked out of broken window during flight

Other passengers were able to pull him back into the cabin after several minutes

[RyanAir approaching runway 36 at Riga international airport]

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Ryanair says the aircraft landed normally, and passengers returned to the terminal (stock image)(Image: Getty)

A Ryanair passenger was reportedly partially sucked out of a plane window, which shattered in mid-air. The incident involved a Boeing 737-800 aircraft that departed from the Greek city of Thessaloniki at 6.01am local time on Friday, bound for Memmingen, Germany.

Local media in Greece reported the victim was a Serbian man aged in his 60s, whose head was sucked out of the window. Other passengers were able to pull him back into the cabin after several minutes, according to reports, which also stated the window was shattered when an engine part broke off.

Footage of the incident's aftermath from inside the cabin has been obtained by Radio Thessaloniki in Greece. It shows the shattered window and the released oxygen masks.

Ryanair said in a statement: "A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on Friday morning returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged in-flight. The aircraft landed normally, and passengers returned to the terminal.

"One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki." Flight tracking website Flightrader24 shows the plane began to turn around after about 22 minutes in the air.

It then burned fuel at low altitude for about half an hour before landing one hour and 15 minutes after take-off. The plane has Ryanair livery but was operated by Malta Air, a subsidiary of the Irish company. A replacement aircraft departed Thessaloniki at 9.53am local time.

What can make a plane engine malfunction?

Plane engines usually fail due to issues such as fuel mismanagement, bird strikes, foreign debris, mechanical wear, manufacturing defects, or icing conditions. Less often, problems arise from improper maintenance, volcanic ash, or human error during operation.

What happens during an emergency on a flight?

In the event of an in-flight emergency, the flight crew quickly follows their training: they focus on maintaining control of the aircraft, evaluate the circumstances, and contact ground control. If it's a medical issue or a technical problem, the pilots might announce an emergency and redirect to the closest appropriate airport.

Following an emergency landing, passengers are quickly evacuated onto the tarmac or taxiway and then guided by airport emergency staff to a safe, isolated holding area within the airport terminal. The next steps for the passengers largely depend on whether they used the emergency slides for evacuation or the aircraft managed to taxi safely to a gate.

If investigators find the aircraft safe, ground crews will collect any carry-on bags and checked luggage left behind. These items are catalogued, screened, and returned to the passengers in the terminal holding area.

On the other hand, if the aircraft is significantly damaged or part of an active federal investigation, it can take days or even weeks to recover the baggage.

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