A Ryanair flight from southern Germany was forced to return to the Greek city of Thessaloniki on Friday after a passenger window broke shortly after takeoff.
The pressure difference pulled the head and shoulders of the person sitting near the window out of the plane, and a desperate rescue effort began.
What happened on Ryanair flight?
Passengers on Friday’s flight to Memmingen Airport in Bavaria heard a loud bang, followed by shattering window glass and oxygen masks falling from the ceiling.
An eyewitness told Radio Thessaloniki that the passenger sitting near the window was wearing his seat belt, which helped prevent him from being ejected from the plane and facilitated rescue.
“His head and shoulders were visible out the broken window,” a witness told Greek broadcaster ERT.
Some passengers started screaming, while others, including the man’s wife, struggled to hold him and successfully pull him to safety.
Greek media identified the man as a Serbian tourist. According to Greek officials, he was taken to a hospital in Thessaloniki due to scratches, but was otherwise in good condition.
Ryanair said the plane returned to Thessaloniki shortly after departure because “a passenger window was blown out during flight.” The airline said the plane landed normally and one passenger received medical treatment.
What could be the reason for the incident?
Greek media reported that a piece of one of the plane’s engines broke off and hit the window as it was flying over North Macedonia.
Two sources familiar with the incident gave the same account to Reuters news agency, although Ryanair did not identify the cause.
According to one passenger, the return flight to Thessaloniki took about 20 minutes after the incident.
The aircraft was identified as a Boeing 737-800.
Flight data showed that the same plane had returned to Thessaloniki shortly after taking off for Zaragoza on Thursday evening. It was not immediately clear why the flight was diverted. Officials have started investigation.
Ryanair provided a replacement aircraft, which took off from Thessaloniki at 9:53 am local time (0853 GMT) and later landed in Memmingen.
Edited by: Natalie Muller