A Ryanair flight travelling from Greece to Germany was forced to return to its departure airport after a passenger window shattered in mid-air, with local reports claiming one passenger was nearly pulled through the opening before being rescued by his wife.
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The incident happened on Ryanair flight FR1879, operated by Malta Air, which departed Thessaloniki for Memmingen near Munich on Thursday.
Passenger reportedly pulled towards broken window
According to Greek media reports, a 61-year-old Serbian man was partially pulled out of his seat after the aircraft suffered an apparent engine failure that sent debris into an acrylic passenger window, causing it to shatter.
Picture courtesy The Times
The reports said the man was left hanging headfirst outside the aircraft after the cabin rapidly depressurised. His wife reportedly prevented him from being pulled completely through the opening by holding on to his legs until the situation was brought under control.
Michalis Giannakos, president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees (POEDIN), described the incident as "almost a tragedy", according to the Greek news website Newsit.
The passenger was taken to hospital after landing, reportedly suffering from shock and friction burns caused by exposure to the freezing airflow outside the aircraft.
Emergency return to Thessaloniki
Images and videos shared online showed oxygen masks hanging from the cabin ceiling, indicating the aircraft had experienced a loss of cabin pressure after the window was damaged.
Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 showed the Boeing 737 remained airborne for just over an hour. The aircraft climbed to around 16,000ft before turning back and landing safely at Thessaloniki Airport.
The circumstances that caused the window to fail have not been officially confirmed.
Ryanair confirms window came loose
In a statement, Ryanair confirmed the aircraft returned shortly after take-off because of a problem with a passenger window.
"A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on Friday morning returned to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff when a passenger window dislodged inflight," a company spokesperson said.
The airline did not comment on reports that a passenger was nearly sucked through the damaged window or provide details on the number of people injured.
It remains unclear whether investigators have confirmed the sequence of events described in local media. The aircraft landed safely, and emergency services met the flight after its return to Thessaloniki.
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10 July 2026
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