Ryanair Passenger Nearly Sucked Out of Window After Mid-Flight Depressurization Over North Macedonia

A Ryanair Boeing 737-800 operating flight FR1879 from Thessaloniki, Greece to Memmingen, Germany made an emergency return to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff on Friday after a passenger window broke or became dislodged in-flight. The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal.

The passenger seated by the window — a Serbian man reported to be in his 60s — was partially pulled outside the aircraft by the pressure difference, with his head and shoulders protruding from the broken window for several minutes. The passenger's seatbelt, which he had not removed, helped prevent him from being pulled further out of the aircraft. Fellow passengers and the man's wife pulled him back inside the aircraft to safety.

The passenger was taken to hospital in Thessaloniki with friction burns and shock but was otherwise in good condition. Passengers on the flight described hearing a loud bang, experiencing cabin depressurization, seeing oxygen masks drop from the ceiling, and hearing screams following the window failure.

Ryanair arranged a replacement aircraft to transport remaining passengers to Memmingen, departing Thessaloniki at 9:53 a.m. local time.

Greek and Maltese aviation authorities opened an investigation into the incident. The Irish Aviation Authority stated it was aware of the incident and would provide assistance to the investigative authorities.

The cause of the window failure is disputed. Greek media and two Reuters sources reported the window was broken by a piece of debris that detached from one of the plane's engines while flying over North Macedonia. Ryanair described the window as 'dislodged' or 'detached' in its statement but did not confirm or comment on the underlying cause.

Center and center-left outlets reported the flight was operated by Ryanair's subsidiary Malta Air, rather than Ryanair itself.

BBC News reported the aircraft was believed to be approximately 18 years old. DW reported that the same aircraft had returned to Thessaloniki shortly after taking off for Sarajevo on Thursday evening before the incident, though the reason for that diversion was not immediately clear. No other outlets mentioned either the aircraft's age or the previous day's diversion.

The Guardian cited FlightRadar24 data showing the flight was airborne for just over an hour and reached 16,000 feet before descending back into Thessaloniki. DW cited a passenger account placing the return flight duration at approximately 20 minutes after the incident. No other outlets referenced these specific flight details.

BBC News provided historical context by referencing a 2018 Southwest Airlines incident in the United States in which a passenger died after debris from a damaged engine broke a window and she was partially sucked out. The Guardian referenced a January 2024 incident in which a door plug on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 blew out mid-flight, forcing an emergency landing; no passengers were directly ejected but injuries occurred. No other outlets in this source set mentioned these precedents.