Ryanair passenger nearly sucked out after cabin window breaks mid-air: Report

2 min readNew DelhiJul 10, 2026 06:33 PM IST

A passenger aboard a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki in Greece to Memmingen in Germany was reportedly sucked out the window when it “detached” mid-air and was hospitalised with friction burns. The tourist passenger’s condition is otherwise normal, news agency AFP reported, citing authorities.

According to Greek media reports, the incident occurred over Macedonia, and apparently the window was broken by a piece of debris that detached from one of the plane’s engines.

“Most of us had fallen asleep, we had closed our eyes. There was a noise, like a tyre bursting,” a fellow passenger told Radio Thessaloniki.

BREAKING: Ryanair passenger reportedly saved from being sucked out the cabin after window fails during a flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen.

According to local media Ryanair flight FR1879, a Boeing 737-8AS, returned safely to Greece on Friday after part of a damaged engine… pic.twitter.com/YPgRodjPFp

— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) July 10, 2026

“We immediately realised there had been a decompression. There were screams … for a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door,” she said.

“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.” Other passengers near the man helped to pull him in, she said.

NEW: Ryanair passenger, 61, nearly sucked out of Greece–Germany flight after damaged engine debris shatters cabin window; suffers friction burns pic.twitter.com/L8cpxF1Ad9

— Rapid Report (@RapidReport2025) July 10, 2026

In a statement, the Irish airline said the flight “returned to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff when a passenger window detached during the flight. The aircraft landed normally, and the passengers returned to the terminal.”

A replacement aircraft was made available to transport the remaining passengers to Memmingen, the Irish carrier said.

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