“We immediately realised there had been a decompression. There were screams … for a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door,” the woman said.
“The masks dropped and there was a strong smell. The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn’t taken off his seat belt.”
Other passengers near the man helped to pull him in, she said.
Greek media reported the window had been broken by a piece of debris that detached from one of the plane’s engines as it flow over North Macedonia.
Ryanair said the flight returned to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff when the window “detached”.
“The aircraft landed normally and the passengers returned to the terminal.”
A replacement aircraft took the remaining passengers to Memmingen, the Irish carrier said.
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing said it was in contact with Ryanair.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the plane involved was a Boeing 737-800.
Photo / flightradar24
It said it was ready to help its counterparts in Greece and provide technical support to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigates aviation accidents and incidents.
The NTSB said: “North Macedonia, as the country of occurrence, will lead the investigation and determine the composition of the investigative team and any international participation.
“The NTSB has appointed a US accredited representative who, along with technical advisers from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Boeing Company and General Electric Aerospace, are standing by to assist.”
– AFP