A Ryanair flight encountered a mid-air emergency as debris struck a window, leading to a passenger sustaining injuries, with witnesses describing a partial ‘suction’ effect. The flight, originating from Thessaloniki and bound for Memmingen, Germany, had to return to Greece after debris from the engine hit a window.
The pilot identified an engine issue shortly after departing Greece at 5:55 am local time and made the decision to head back to Thessaloniki while flying over North Macedonia. During the descent, a damaged part of the engine broke off, hitting a cabin window and causing minor injuries to a 61-year-old passenger from Serbia. Witnesses reported the captain alerting an “emergency” situation as oxygen masks were deployed.
An eyewitness mentioned to the German Press Agency (dpa) that the window shattered, a scene captured in circulating online videos. Reports from BILD indicated that a passenger seated by the window was partially ‘sucked’ out, with another eyewitness recounting the man’s head and shoulders protruding through the broken window.
The return trip to Thessaloniki lasted approximately 20 minutes, with the injured passenger swiftly taken to a local hospital by emergency services. His injuries included a neck wound, body bruising, and shock, as per De Telegraaf.
According to a passenger’s account on Radio Thessaloniki, a loud noise was heard mid-flight preceding the window shattering, resulting in cabin depressurization and the release of oxygen masks. Fellow passengers had to intervene to prevent the man from being fully pulled out through the window, with one describing how they held onto him as he was being suctioned out.
Ryanair issued a statement acknowledging the incident, stating that a passenger window dislodged mid-flight, prompting the return to Thessaloniki. Medical assistance was provided to the injured passenger upon landing. To minimize delays, a replacement aircraft was arranged for passengers to continue their journey to Memmingen.
The Mirror has reached out to Ryanair for further comments.