A plane incident that occurred over Macedonia almost ended tragically this morning, after, according to assumptions, a piece of the engine of a Ryanair plane flying from Thessaloniki to the German city of Memmingen flew out and hit one of the windows, after which he was ejected, and a Serb (61) who was next to the window, during decompression fell halfway through the hole. He was saved from ejecting from the plane by his wife, who held him tightly until the moments when the plane descended to a lower altitude. The plane then returned to Thessaloniki airport.
After receiving a call for help, emergency procedures were activated at the airport. Firefighters, police, ambulance crews and other services waited for the plane on the runway, where it landed safely and was transferred to a specially designated position.
The incident occurred when the plane was already at an altitude of over 10,000 feet (more than 3 kilometers) over Macedonia. Flight FR-1879 began a rapid descent, after which the man was pulled back into the plane, and passengers in line next to the damaged window were moved.
The seriously injured Serb was transferred to the AHEPA University Hospital in Thessaloniki, where he was to undergo a CT scan to determine if he had any fractures. Doctors diagnosed him with scratches and abrasions.
A more dramatic description of the incident was given by the president of the Panhellenic Federation of State Hospital Employees (POEDIN), who claims that the situation could have ended much worse.
“A tragedy almost happened. The window was broken, the passenger’s body came out, and his wife was holding him,” the POEDIN head said, local media reports.
After the incident, Ryanair sent a replacement plane, which allowed most passengers to continue their journey to their destination in Germany.
BREAKING: Ryanair passenger reportedly saved from being sucked out the cabin after window fails during a flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen.
According to local media Ryanair flight FR1879, a Boeing 737-8AS, returned safely to Greece on Friday after part of a damaged engine… pic.twitter.com/YPgRodjPFp
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) July 10, 2026
