A passenger on a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece to Memmingen, Germany was partially sucked out of the cabin after a window detached mid-air. His wife held onto his legs to prevent him from being ejected completely, according to reports from Daily Star and France 24.
Passenger Saved by Wife and Fellow Travelers
Michalis Giannakos, president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees in Greece, told news outlet Enikos: “His wife held him down for five minutes so he wouldn’t get out. With the help of many passengers, they managed to pull him into the cabin.” The man, reported to be 61 years old by CNN Greece, was hospitalized with friction burns but was said to be in good condition.
Incident Details
The incident occurred on flight FR1879, a Boeing 737-8AS, which returned safely to Greece on July 10, 2026. According to a witness speaking to Radio Thessaloniki, most passengers were asleep when a loud noise like a tyre bursting was heard. “We immediately realized there had been a decompression. There were screams … for a moment, I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door. The masks dropped and there was a strong smell,” the woman said. She added that the passenger’s head and shoulders were outside the window. “Fortunately, he hadn’t taken off his seat belt,” she noted.
Cause of Window Failure
Ryanair confirmed the incident in an email to the New York Post. A spokesperson stated: “A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on Friday morning (10 July) returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged inflight. The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki.” According to the New York Post, a piece of the engine broke off and struck the window, causing it to shatter.
