Global Edition
Global Edition
UK Edition
EU Edition
US Edition

Understand the story, not the spin.

Markets

Ryanair passenger partially ejected from window

Published 20 July 2026

A passenger was partially sucked out of a broken aircraft window during a Ryanair flight earlier this month, an incident now under investigation by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. The event occurred on July 10 aboard a Boeing 737-800 operated by Ryanair subsidiary Malta Air, which was traveling from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany.

The aircraft was at approximately 20,000 feet over North Macedonia when passengers reported hearing a loud noise, followed by a rapid loss of cabin pressure. A piece of debris, believed to have come from the aircraft's right engine, struck and shattered an acrylic cabin window. Ljubiša Karović, a 61-year-old Serbian passenger, was pulled from his seat and sucked out of the opening up to his shoulders, exposing him to high-speed winds.

His wife, Svetlana Grković, reacted immediately, grabbing his legs to prevent him from being fully ejected. She later described the moment, saying she thought if they were to die, they would die together. With the assistance of two other passengers, Karović was pulled back into the cabin. Bystanders then attempted to seal the breach with luggage before the crew initiated an emergency return to...

Now playing
0:00 / 0:00