A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, was forced to make an emergency U-turn on 10 July 2026 after a cabin window shattered mid-flight, causing a rapid decompression that partially sucked a male passenger through the frame.
Incident Details
The Boeing 737-800 departed Thessaloniki at 5:55am local time. Over North Macedonia, the pilot noticed an engine problem and decided to return to Thessaloniki. During the descent, part of the damaged engine reportedly detached and struck a cabin window, causing the window to dislodge. The rapid decompression pulled a 61-year-old Serbian man partially through the window up to his shoulders, with his head outside the aircraft. His wife clung to his legs until crew members could assist, according to witnesses.
Emergency Response
The captain repeatedly shouted "emergency" as oxygen masks deployed. The plane was at approximately 20,000 feet when passengers heard a loud bang. The flight crew aborted the journey and executed a normal landing back at Thessaloniki airport. Medical teams met the affected passenger on the ground for urgent care.
Ryanair Statement
Ryanair confirmed the incident in an official statement: "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."
The airline arranged a replacement aircraft, which departed Thessaloniki at 9:53am local time to transport remaining passengers to Germany.
