On Saturday, July 10, 2026, a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Germany experienced a rare and serious incident when a cabin window was dislodged, partially sucking a passenger out of the aircraft.

Svetlana Grkovic Maksimovic, wife of the passenger Ljubisa Karovic, recounted hearing a loud bang before seeing her 61-year-old husband being pulled through the broken window. "I've never heard anything louder in my life before," she said. Passengers reported that oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling and the Boeing 737 rapidly lost altitude following the noise.

Karovic was seated by the window and was partially pulled out, with his head and right arm hanging outside the plane. Nearby passengers, including a woman sitting next to him who pulled his left arm, and another passenger who came to help, managed to drag him back inside as the plane began to descend.

Greek authorities described the incident as rare. Greek media and airport sources suggested that a piece of the engine likely broke off and smashed the window early in the flight, causing cabin decompression.

Karovic is currently hospitalized in Thessaloniki with severe neck and arm injuries. His legal adviser, Vassilis Tsiaras, described the event as "extremely serious," emphasizing the importance of the ongoing investigation.

Boeing has stated it is assisting the investigation led by North Macedonia, the jurisdiction over which the incident occurred.

Sources