Greece: scare on Ryanair flight – passenger risks being sucked out
According to witnesses, his wife and other passengers managed to restrain him and bring him back onto the plane
There were moments of great fear on a Ryanair flight that had taken off from Thessaloniki bound for Munich, which was forced to return shortly after take-off following a serious technical fault. According to initial reports from the Greek media and passenger accounts, an engine failure caused fragments to break off, shattering a cabin window and leading to rapid depressurisation. The passenger seated next to the damaged window, a 61-year-old Serbian national, was partially sucked out of the aircraft by the force of the airflow. According to witnesses, his wife and other passengers managed to hold him back and pull him back inside the aircraft.
The oxygen masks deployed automatically as the aircraft began the emergency procedure. The captain immediately aborted the flight and returned to Thessaloniki’s “Macedonia” Airport, where the aircraft landed safely around twenty minutes after the incident and was moved to an area set aside for technical checks.
Four people were taken to hospital: three were discharged after undergoing precautionary checks, whilst the Serbian passenger remained in hospital with minor abrasions and in a state of shock, but his condition is not thought to be life-threatening.
The passengers subsequently travelled to Munich on a replacement flight. At present, neither Ryanair nor the relevant authorities have issued an official statement regarding the incident. According to the Greek public broadcaster ERT, an investigation has been launched to establish the causes of the incident.
The airline went on to explain in a statement that “A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen, on the morning of Friday (10 July), returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off following the detachment of a passenger window during the flight. The aircraft landed safely and the passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki. To minimise the delay, a replacement aircraft was arranged to transport the passengers to Memmingen, departing from Thessaloniki at 9.53 am local time this morning”.
