A man was nearly sucked out of a Ryanair flight shortly after take-off from Thessaloniki, Greece, when a passenger window came away in mid-air, according to witnesses and the airline.
Passengers nearby pulled the man back inside, while his seatbelt prevented him from being dragged fully out of the aircraft, a fellow passenger told local radio station Radio Thessaloniki.
"His head and shoulders were outside the window," she said. "Fortunately, he had not removed his seatbelt."
The witness said most passengers had been asleep when they heard a loud bang, like a tyre bursting, and quickly realised the cabin had depressurised. She said oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling and there was a strong smell inside the aircraft.
"For a moment, I thought someone had opened the emergency exit by accident," she added.
Ryanair said the aircraft returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off after "a passenger window detached in flight". The plane landed normally, and passengers were taken back to the terminal, the airline said.
Greek media identified the aircraft as a Boeing 737-800 and reported that the window was broken after debris from one of the engines came loose.
The injured passenger, believed to be a Serbian tourist, was taken to hospital in Thessaloniki on Friday with friction burns. Authorities said his condition was not otherwise a cause for concern.
The flight had been travelling to Memmingen in Germany.
Ryanair said a replacement aircraft had been arranged to take passengers on to their destination.
