Ryanair’s chief executive has said an official investigation will determine what went wrong on a flight that saw a passenger almost sucked out of a shattered window. The shocking incident happened on a service from Thessaloniki in Greece to Memmingen, Germany, on a plane operated by Malta Air, a Ryanair subsidiary. Ljubiša Karovi, 61, was reportedly pulled from his seat and had to be held in by his legs and seatbelt when the cabin suddenly depressurised.
Passenger Held by Legs as Cabin Depressurises
His wife, Svetlana Grković Maksimović, held onto his legs during the chaos as the plane made an emergency return to Greece. Passengers described hearing a loud bang while the aircraft was over North Macedonia, after which the pilot turned the Boeing 737-800 back towards Thessaloniki. Maksimović has claimed debris struck the aircraft and damaged the window after what she thinks was an engine failure.
Ryanair CEO: Photographs Show Engine Damage
In an interview with RTÉ News, Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson said photographs showed visible damage to one of the engines but insisted it would be wrong to draw conclusions before investigators complete their work. “Anyone who’s looked at the photographs can see… clearly there’s damage to the engine,” he said. “But I’m not going to speculate on that. That aircraft will be investigated through the Greek authorities. We understand then we will put that out to the NTSB, which are the American investigators.”
The US National Transportation Safety Board is expected to be involved because the aircraft is American-built. Wilson said the incident was serious and that Ryanair would act on any findings or safety recommendations that follow.
Passenger Seriously Injured and in Shock
Maksimović said her 61-year-old husband was “seriously injured and in shock”, and they did not know if they would ever fly again following the ordeal. Another passenger, Sofia, told Radio Thessaloniki: “We thought the plane was going down. The decompression was extreme. It felt like we couldn't breathe. The man who was injured was bleeding and then lost consciousness several times, most likely because of the lack of oxygen and the shock.”
Ryanair Defends Safety Record
Pressed on whether passengers could feel confident flying with the airline over the summer, Wilson pointed to the carrier’s flight volume and maintenance regime, saying aircraft are checked regularly and that “the best-trained crews” were on display during the Thessaloniki diversion. “Aircraft are maintained every night,” he said, adding that Ryanair follows schedules set by regulators.
Airline Statement and Family’s Technical Adviser
Ryanair, in a statement, said the flight returned “shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged in flight”. The airline said the aircraft landed normally, passengers were taken back to the terminal, and one person requested and received medical assistance on the ground. Although the cause has not been confirmed by authorities, the BBC reported that a technical adviser appointed by the family believes the sequence began with a problem affecting the aircraft’s right engine, with debris then striking and shattering a cabin window, triggering the rapid loss of pressure.
