Passenger partially pulled through window on Malta Air flight after mid-air decompression

A passenger was reportedly left hanging headfirst out of a cabin window on a Malta Air flight after a window dislodged shortly after take-off from Thessaloniki, the airline said; the aircraft returned to the airport and one passenger received medical assistance on the ground.

Witnesses said the incident occurred on a Friday morning on the Malta Air service operated for Ryanair, en route from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany.

Passengers described a loud bang and the sudden deployment of oxygen masks after the Boeing 737 climbed away from the runway; several people said the head and shoulders of a man, identified in reports as a Serbian citizen in his 60s, were outside the broken window for several minutes before fellow travellers pulled him back in.

Ryanair confirmed the flight returned “shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged inflight” and that the aircraft landed normally; the statement added that one passenger requested and received medical assistance in Thessaloniki and that a replacement aircraft transported passengers to Memmingen hours later.

Media reports quoted passengers who suggested debris from the jet’s engine may have struck the window, though Ryanair did not comment on that specific cause in its statement.

The Irish Aviation Authority said it was aware of the incident involving the Malta Air-operated aircraft and offered to assist the relevant Greek and Maltese aviation safety authorities with their investigation.

Passengers noted a strong smell in the cabin during the event; one witness told local radio they initially thought an emergency door had been opened.

Reports indicated the aircraft was about 18 years old and described the quick response by fellow passengers who managed to pull the man back inside while he was still wearing his seat belt.

The incident echoes a 2018 case in the United States when debris from a damaged engine caused a window to break on a Southwest Airlines flight, resulting in a passenger being partially pulled out and later dying.