A tourist from Serbia flying from Greece to Germany survived after a window on the Ryanair jet failed and he was sucked partway out of the airliner.

Other passengers pulled him back in.

According to a CBS report posted online, a witness to the events described the details to Greek media.

“The passenger, described as a tourist from Serbia on a flight from Thessaloniki in Greece to Memmingen in Germany, was hospitalized with friction burns but was otherwise in good condition,” the report explained authorities confirmed.

“Most of us had fallen asleep, we had closed our eyes. There was a noise, like a tire bursting,” a passenger said in an interview with Radio Thessaloniki.

“We immediately realized 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.”

He was pulled back in by fellow travelers.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) told CBS News they were aware of the incident and would support the investigation.

“We are in contact with the FAA as state of design of the aircraft as well as the engine manufacturer,” the EASA confirmed. “We will follow the situation closely as more information emerges and take any continued airworthiness action needed to ensure safety.”

The FAA said the Boeing 737-800 returned safely to Thessaloniki.

Media reports in Greece said the window was broken when a piece of debris that detached from a plane engine struck it.

Investigations were continuing, as some of the details posted online were could not be verified immediately.

A man was nearly sucked out the window of a Ryanair flight when it “detached” midair en route to Germany, with other passengers pulling him back inside, a witness told Greek media on Friday.

The passenger, described as a tourist from Serbia on a flight from Thessaloniki in… pic.twitter.com/ydU8CENb8h

— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 10, 2026

Breaking Aviation News said it was Ryanair flight FR1879, and the “61-year-old man, who is from Serbia, upon the return of the plane, was taken to AHEPA and will undergo a CT scan to see if he has fractures.”

BREAKING: Ryanair passenger reportedly saved from being sucked out the cabin after window fails during a flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen.

According to local media Ryanair flight FR1879, a Boeing 737-8AS, returned safely to Greece on Friday after part of a damaged engine… pic.twitter.com/YPgRodjPFp

— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) July 10, 2026

A Ryanair (Malta Air) 737’s window shattered climbing through 15,000 ft after departing Thessaloniki earlier today. A passenger was partial sucked out, but was retrieved by other passengers and crew. The aircraft burned fuel before landing safely at SKG. https://t.co/NPpT6hZ7fa pic.twitter.com/hSOKs4ylDN

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) July 10, 2026