Ryanair passenger almost sucked out of shattered window during flight | Ryanair

A passenger on a Ryanair flight reportedly nearly fell out of the window after it broke apart in the air during his journey from Greece.

According to local reports, the man was said to have been thrown from his seat into the plane’s air current when pieces of the acrylic glass broke due to engine failure, and he was hanging upside down out of the window.

The passenger, said to be a 61-year-old Serbian, avoided being completely pulled from the Boeing 737 thanks to his wife “holding his legs”.

The incident occurred on Ryanair flight FR1879, which was scheduled to fly from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, near Munich, Germany, on Thursday. It was operated by Ryanair subsidiary Malta Air.

Union official Michalis Giannakos said the man was hospitalized for shock and friction burns from the freezing wind outside the plane, according to Greek news site Newsit.

The president of the Panhellenic Public Hospital Employees Federation (POEDIN) said the incident was “almost a tragedy.”

Images and videos show that broken glass caused oxygen masks to fall from the ceiling, and broken glass caused the pressure in the cabin to drop.

“A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on Friday morning returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off and the passenger window became dislodged during the flight,” a Ryanair spokesman said.

Data from tracking company FlightRadar24’s website shows the flight remained airborne for just over an hour, reaching 16,000ft before landing at Thessaloniki airport.

A Ryanair spokesman added: “The aircraft landed normally and passengers were returned to the terminal. “One passenger requested medical assistance in Thessaloniki and received medical assistance on the ground.

“In order to minimize any delays, a replacement aircraft has been arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen, departing Thessaloniki at 9.53 local time this morning.”