Passenger nearly sucked out of plane after debris shattered window as witnesses reveal what saved his life

A man onboard a budget airline flight was almost 'sucked out of a cabin window' mid-flight, as witnesses reveal how his wife 'saved his life'.

The Ryanair flight took off on Friday (July 10) morning, from the Greek city of Thessaloniki to Germany's Memmingen.

Greek aviation officials believe there was a 'massive rupture in the engine', ABC reports. Part of the engine on the right side of the plane is believed to have blown out debris, which 'smashed into the fuselage', also damaging the window.

A passenger, said to be a 61-year-old Serbian national, is believed to have been 'partially sucked out of a dislodged window'.

In a statement to UNILAD, Ryanair said: "A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on Friday morning (10 July) returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged inflight. The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal."

Ryanair is the largest budget airline in Europe (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The airline also confirmed to us that one passenger, 'requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki'. A replacement aircraft was then arranged to bring the remaining passengers to Memmingen.

The injured passenger is being treated for friction burns, reports say.

After the terrifying incident, witnesses have spoken out to local media, with one saying the passenger's wife 'held him by the legs' for 'five minutes', to stop him being 'sucked out' of the Boeing 737 - essentially, saving his life.

One witness told Radio Thessaloniki that she thought someone had opened an emergency door due to the screams, adding: "The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn't taken off his seat belt."

Passengers also told the radio outlet that the oxygen masks dropped during the flight, and that they were 'frightened they wouldn't make it back', due to the fact they thought there had been an explosion in the aircraft.

Oxygen masks came down during the incident (ABC News/Radio Thessaloniki)

Traveler have also shared apparent videos of the flight on social media, in which they can be seen wearing the masks, as a broken window can be seen in the background.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) told CBS News: "We are in contact with the FAA as state of design of the aircraft as well as the engine manufacturer.

"We will follow the situation closely as more information emerges and take any continued airworthiness action needed to ensure safety."

A full investigation is set to take place.

Ryanair is the largest airline in Europe, and in 2025, it became the first European airline to mark 200 million passengers in just one year.