The passenger was on a flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, when the accident occurred
Witnesses and officials said that a passenger on a Ryanair plane heading from Greece to Germany was almost ejected from the plane after a cabin window broke off in midair, forcing his fellow passengers to pull him back inside.The passenger, identified as a tourist from Serbia, was on a flight from Thessaloniki in Greece to Memmingen in Germany when the accident occurred.Authorities said he was later taken to hospital with friction burns, but his condition was reported to be stable, according to Agence France-Presse.The plane was forced to return to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off after what Ryanair described as a “passenger window detachment” during the flight.Pictures circulated after the accident showed oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling and a damaged part of the cabin window area.
The passenger’s head and shoulders are pulled inward by others
One of the passengers told Radio Thessaloniki that most of the people on board were asleep when they heard a loud sound similar to an explosion.The passenger said: “Most of us had fallen asleep, with our eyes closed. There was a noise, like a tire exploding.”“We immediately realized that the pressure had been relieved. There were screams…
“For a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door,” she added.According to the witness, oxygen masks fell from the ceiling and a strong odor spread in the cabin due to the sudden loss of pressure.She added: “One of the passengers’ head and shoulders were outside the window. Fortunately, he did not take off his seat belt.”Other passengers sitting nearby rushed to help and put the man back on the plane.Greek media reported that the accident occurred over North Macedonia and that the window may have been damaged by debris that separated from one of the plane’s engines.
Ryanair safely returns its planes to Greece
Ryanair confirmed that the plane returned to Thessaloniki shortly after departure.The airline said in a statement, “The flight returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off when the passenger window broke during the flight. The plane landed normally and the passengers returned to the lounge.”The company added that an alternative plane had been arranged to transport the remaining passengers to Memmingen.The plane in question was reportedly a Boeing 737, and the incident occurred shortly after the flight departed from Greece.Authorities are investigating the cause of the window separation and whether it is related to an engine-related malfunction or the impact of external debris.
