THESSALONIKI, Greece: A Ryanair passenger window dislodged shortly after takeoff on a flight to Memmingen, Germany, forcing the aircraft to return to Thessaloniki on Friday, the airline said.
Passengers told Greek and local media that a man sitting beside the window had his head and shoulders pulled toward the opening before other travellers helped drag him back inside.
Ryanair said the aircraft returned shortly after departure because “a passenger window became dislodged during the flight”.
The airline said the plane landed normally, and one passenger received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki.
😱 Horrifying! A passenger was partially sucked through a shattered plane window at an altitude of 6,000 metres
Shortly after a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Germany took off, a fragment broke off the engine and smashed a window.
The 61-year-old man began to be pulled… pic.twitter.com/cax9KP96pY
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) July 10, 2026A Greek hospital official told the BBC that the injured passenger was a 61-year-old Serbian national being treated for friction burns. The official said the man remained conscious but was in shock.
Witnesses told Radio Thessaloniki that passengers heard a loud bang before oxygen masks dropped.
One passenger said the man’s fastened seat belt helped prevent him from being pulled farther from the aircraft.
Greek media and passengers said debris from one of the aircraft’s engines may have struck the window, but Ryanair did not identify the cause.
Transport Malta said its Civil Aviation Directorate had received an initial report on the incident.
Fra Port Greece said the incident was under investigation by the Hellenic Air and Rail Safety Investigation Authority.
Read: United Airlines Flight Diverts After Door Incident
The Irish Aviation Authority said it was aware of the incident and would assist investigators if needed.
Ryanair arranged a replacement aircraft, which later took passengers to Memmingen, the airline said.
