On 10 July 2026, a 61-year-old man was nearly sucked head-first out of a shattered window on a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany. His wife held onto his legs for around five minutes to stop him from being pulled out, as other passengers helped drag him back inside. The incident, which left the man with friction burns and shock, is a rare but terrifying example of what can happen when a plane suffers a cabin depressurisation event.
Cabin depressurisation is the loss of pressurised air inside an aircraft at high altitude. Airliners pressurise the cabin to keep passengers comfortable and safe, maintaining an internal pressure equivalent to about 8,000ft above sea level even when flying at 35,000ft or higher. If a window, door seal or fuselage panel fails, air rushes out violently, causing a rapid decompression. In this case, the Ryanair Boeing 737-800 – operated by its subsidiary Malta Air – was about 10 minutes into the flight when a passenger window dislodged. Data from FlightRadar24 shows the plane abruptly descended 9,000ft before returning to Thessaloniki. Passengers reported hearing “some kind of explosion”, and oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling as the cabin pressure dropped.
“Explains cabin depressurisation and window blowouts using the July 2026 Ryanair incident.”
Why do windows blow out? Aircraft windows are built with multiple layers of acrylic and polycarbonate, designed to withstand huge pressure differences. They can fail if struck by debris – in this instance, passengers reported that pieces of the jet’s engine smashed the window. Although Ryanair has not commented on that claim, engine failure is a known cause of structural damage. The plane was reportedly 18 years old; age and metal fatigue can also play a role, though strict maintenance schedules aim to prevent such failures. Similar incidents are extremely rare: in 2024, a cabin panel on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 blew out mid-flight, also causing rapid depressurisation.
For UK readers, this matters because Ryanair is one of Europe’s biggest budget airlines, carrying millions of British passengers every year. While the chance of a window blowout is vanishingly small – 0.0001% of flights experience any form of decompression, according to industry data – the consequences can be severe. If you ever find yourself on a plane that suddenly depressurises, the key safety rules are: put your own oxygen mask on before helping others; stay seated with your seatbelt fastened; and follow crew instructions. The passenger in this incident was saved because he had his seatbelt on, which prevented him from being fully sucked out.
Q: How common are window blowouts on commercial flights? Window failures are extremely rare. The aviation industry has strict design standards and maintenance checks, so incidents like this happen only a handful of times globally each decade.
Q: What should I do if a plane window breaks mid-flight? Put on your oxygen mask immediately, stay seated with your seatbelt fastened, and brace for a possible emergency descent. Crew will guide you once the aircraft stabilises.
Q: Can you be sucked out of a plane window? Yes, if the window fails and you are not strapped in. The pressure difference at altitude can create a strong suction force. The 61-year-old man survived only because his wife held his legs and other passengers pulled him back.
The Ryanair flight returned safely to Thessaloniki about an hour after take-off. The injured man was taken to hospital with friction burns and shock, but remained conscious. Ryanair said a replacement aircraft departed for Memmingen at 9:53 local time. The Greek authorities have not yet released a full investigation report, but similar incidents are thoroughly examined by aviation safety agencies to prevent future occurrences.
