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Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has publicly disputed passenger claims that a Serbian businessman was partly sucked out of a shattered cabin window during a July flight, according to statements reported by The Associated Press and The Guardian. The incident occurred on July 10 when a Boeing 737-800 operating a route from northern Greece to Germany suffered an engine failure that blew out a window, triggering a sudden cabin depressurization at 16,000 feet.
Ryanair CEO Rejects Partial Ejection Claims
Speaking in Dublin after the Irish budget airline’s annual general meeting, O’Leary addressed passenger accounts regarding 61-year-old traveler Ljubisa Karovic. While acknowledging that Karovic suffered friction burns and injuries to his neck and shoulder, O’Leary rejected assertions that the passenger was pulled through the opening. According to The Guardian, O’Leary stated that Karovic was “certainly sucked in very dramatic circumstances towards the window,” but emphasized that “no part of his body got out the window.” O’Leary added that Ryanair disputes claims demanding millions in compensation, maintaining that the passenger was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the decompression.
Passenger Accounts and Witness Testimony
The airline executive’s version contrasts sharply with accounts provided by Karovic’s family and fellow passengers onboard the flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen. According to legal representation cited by the Daily Mail, Karovic maintained that his seatbelt kept him inside the aircraft after he blacked out during the sudden pressure drop. His wife, Svetlana Karovic, told The Guardian she saw her husband half in and out of the plane and held onto his legs while other travelers hauled him back inside. Witnesses interviewed by 60 Minutes Australia described a chaotic struggle to keep Karovic anchored to his seat before flight attendants and passengers managed to block the gaping hole with a metal box, a bag, and a suitcase.
Investigation Findings on the Boeing 737 Engine Failure
Official findings released in a preliminary report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) detail the mechanical failure that caused the cabin emergency. Investigators stated that fragments from a broken fan blade in the Boeing 737-800’s right engine struck the aircraft, damaging the fuselage and shattering the window beside seat 11F. Flight attendants reported hearing a loud, continuous vibration and watching thick fog or smoke fill the cabin before oxygen masks deployed, prompting the flight crew to execute a safe return to Greece.
Frequently Asked Questions
What caused the window to shatter on the Ryanair flight?
According to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, fragments from a broken fan blade in the right engine struck the fuselage and broke the cabin window.
Did the passenger actually fall out of the plane?
Passenger accounts state the traveler was pulled partially out of the window by the pressure drop, but Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary disputed this, stating internal reviews indicate no part of his body exited the aircraft.
Where was the flight traveling when the incident occurred?
The flight departed from Thessaloniki, northern Greece, and was en route to Memmingen, Germany, before returning safely to Greece.
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