Thessaloniki, Greece. A Ryanair flight returned to Thessaloniki’s Makedonia airport on Friday morning, July 10, after a cabin window came loose shortly after take-off. A passenger said the flight was heading to Munich, while Ryanair said it was bound for Memmingen.
Passenger account
According to a passenger who spoke to rthess.gr, a loud noise was heard during the flight before the window broke, causing the cabin to decompress. The passenger alleged that fellow travellers held onto a 61-year-old Serbian man seated next to the broken window as he was pulled by the rush of air, while oxygen masks dropped from the cabin ceiling.
The passenger said the pilot then changed course and returned the aircraft to Makedonia airport.
Medical assistance
Reports said the foreign national seated next to the broken window was collected by an EKAV ambulance and taken to AHEPA hospital with a neck injury.
Reports also said a pregnant woman from the same flight was taken to Ippokrateio hospital in Thessaloniki, where she underwent an ultrasound. She was discharged after nothing of concern was found.
Airline statement
Ryanair said in a statement that the flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off after “a passenger window dislodged inflight.”
The airline said the aircraft landed normally and passengers were taken back to the terminal, and that one passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki.
A replacement aircraft was arranged to minimise delays and departed Thessaloniki for Memmingen at 9:53 local time on Friday morning, Ryanair said.