Ryanair disputes claims passenger was sucked out window

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has disputed claims that a passenger was partially sucked out of a shattered plane window during a July 10 flight, insisting the man was pulled only towards the opening. The incident occurred aboard Ryanair flight FR1879, which was traveling from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, when a window next to 61-year-old Serbian businessman Ljubisa Karović shattered shortly after takeoff, causing the cabin to rapidly depressurize. Karović suffered serious neck and shoulder injuries, and the flight returned safely to Thessaloniki, where he received medical treatment. Speaking after the airline's annual general meeting in Dublin on Thursday, O'Leary said Ryanair would dispute claims that any part of Karović's body passed through the broken window. He was not partially out the window, O'Leary said, adding that the airline does not think any part of his body got out, but that he was certainly sucked in very dramatic circumstances towards the window. O'Leary noted that Karović had been wearing his seatbelt and said the company was not trying to downplay the seriousness of the incident.