A passenger on a Ryanair-operated flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, was partially pulled through a cabin window after it shattered in flight on 10 July, causing serious injuries and forcing an emergency return to the departure airport. The Boeing 737-800, operated by the carrier’s subsidiary Malta Air, experienced a sudden decompression minutes after takeoff, according to Greek authorities and the airline.

The 61-year-old Serbian national, identified by family members as Ljubisa Karović, sustained friction burns and facial injuries when his head and right shoulder were sucked out of the opening. His wife and two other passengers held his legs for several minutes until he was pulled back inside, she told Serbian media. Greek hospital officials confirmed the man was treated for burns and lacerations. Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary, speaking after the company’s quarterly results, said initial findings suggest “foreign object damage” to the engine during takeoff, not a structural or maintenance failure. He stated the 18-year-old aircraft’s engine had undergone a full overhaul within the past two years. The US National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with a draft report expected in approximately 28 days. Some Greek media reports, however, placed the incident on 17 July, a discrepancy that has not been clarified by authorities.

In a separate event, a Kalitta Air Boeing 777-300 freighter struck its tail on the runway while attempting to land at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport on 19 July. The crew executed a go-around and landed safely on a second approach; no injuries were reported among the crew. The airline’s chief operating officer said the aircraft was immediately removed from service for structural inspections at its Michigan maintenance base. On 20 July, a Brussels Airlines flight from Accra to Lomé returned to Accra International Airport 12 minutes after departure due to an unspecified in-flight technical fault. Ghana’s Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the aircraft landed without incident and that no passengers or crew were harmed. The flight was subsequently cancelled, and the airline is investigating under the regulator’s oversight.

All three events remain under active investigation by the respective national safety bodies. No definitive cause has been established for the Ryanair window failure, and the NTSB has not released any findings. The Kalitta Air and Brussels Airlines probes are in their preliminary stages, with no public conclusions yet available.