Ryanair CEO disputes passenger claims after in-flight window failure

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has disputed claims made by a passenger regarding a July incident involving a broken window on a flight from Thessaloniki to Germany. The passenger, 61-year-old Ljubisa Karovic, reported that he was partially sucked out of the aircraft due to pressure changes, stating that his seatbelt saved his life.

O'Leary stated at a company meeting in Dublin that while the passenger was pulled toward the window under dramatic circumstances, no part of his body actually went through the opening. However, Karovic's wife and other witnesses maintained that his head and shoulders were outside the plane, and they had to work with other passengers to pull him back inside.

The incident occurred on a Boeing 737-800. Preliminary findings from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) indicate that fragments from a damaged engine fan blade struck the fuselage, causing the window to break. Crew members reported loud vibrations and smoke or mist filling the cabin as oxygen masks deployed.