Ryanair C.E.O. Disputes Account of Passenger Sucked Out of Plane Window

The chief executive of the Irish budget airline Ryanair on Thursday strongly disputed reports that a passenger was partly sucked out of the shattered window of one of the airline’s planes mid-flight in July.

The chief executive, Michael O’Leary, contended that the man remained securely belted in his seat after his window shattered during the flight, which was operated by Malta Air, a subsidiary of Ryanair. The plane had taken off from Thessaloniki, Greece, and was flying at about 16,000 feet at the time, en route to Germany.

“We don’t think any part of his body got out the window, but he was certainly sucked in very dramatic circumstances towards the window,” Mr. O’Leary, responding to a question about the passenger’s ordeal, said at a news conference after the airline’s annual general meeting in Dublin.

Mr. O’Leary added, “He wasn’t partially out the window, and his wife, who claims that she saved him by hanging on to his feet, is certainly somewhat delusional, given that she was sitting in a seat three rows behind him.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/business/ryanair-ceo-passenger-plane-window.html