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A Munich-bound Ryanair flight safely made an emergency return to Thessaloniki, Greece, on Friday, after detached engine fragments shattered a cabin window and slightly injured a passenger.
The aircraft was traveling over North Macedonia when the pilots detected an unresolvable engine malfunction and chose to turn back. During the descent, a piece of the damaged engine broke off and struck the window, though authorities confirmed the incident did not breach the main fuselage of the plane.
According to a BBC article, a passenger was reportedly nearly sucked out of a cabin window in mid-air on a Ryanair plane.
Witnesses told local media the man, said to be a Serbian citizen in his 60s, was left hanging headfirst out of the window as far as his shoulders for several minutes, before other passengers on the flight managed to pull him back inside.
"We immediately realized there had been a decompression. There were screams ... for a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door," Christina, a fellow passenger, told Radio Thessaloniki.
"The masks dropped and there was a strong smell. The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn't taken off his seat belt."
The aircraft, believed to be an 18-year-old plane, was operated by Ryanair's subsidiary Malta Air.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) later told the BBC that it is "aware of the incident involving a Ryanair group aircraft, registered and operated by Malta Air, departing Thessaloniki this morning."
In a statement, Ryanair said emergency procedures were activated at Thessaloniki Airport "Makedonia" after the crew issued a distress signal. Firefighters, ambulance crews, police and other emergency services were deployed as a precaution.
The aircraft landed safely and was moved to a designated area of the airport. Four passengers were taken to the hospital for precautionary examinations. Most were treated and discharged, while one remained under medical observation for further evaluation.
Ryanair sent a replacement aircraft to transport most of the passengers to Munich. The cause of the engine failure is under investigation by aviation authorities.
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