A Ryanair flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a cabin window reportedly became dislodged during the flight, with passengers claiming a man was nearly pulled out of the aircraft by the force of the escaping air.

The incident happened on Ryanair flight FR1879, which was travelling from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany. Witnesses said they heard a loud bang before the window failed at an altitude of around 20,000 feet, triggering a rapid loss of cabin pressure.

Passengers described scenes of panic as oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling and the aircraft began an emergency descent. According to eyewitnesses, the man sitting next to the affected window was partially pulled towards the opening, with his head and shoulders reportedly forced outside the aircraft. Fellow passengers, including his wife, are said to have grabbed his legs and pulled him back to safety.

The Boeing 737-800 returned to Thessaloniki, where emergency services met the aircraft. The injured passenger, reported to be a Serbian man in his 60s, was taken for medical treatment. Witnesses said he suffered abrasions, burns and a neck injury but survived the ordeal.

Ryanair confirmed that the flight returned safely after a passenger window became dislodged during the journey. The airline said one passenger required medical assistance after landing and that a replacement aircraft was arranged to transport the remaining passengers to their destination.

The cause of the window failure has not yet been officially determined. Aviation authorities are expected to investigate the incident, while some local media reports have suggested the damage may have been caused by debris striking the aircraft. Ryanair has not confirmed those claims.

Although commercial aircraft are designed to withstand cabin decompression and pilots are trained to respond quickly to such emergencies, the incident has raised fresh questions about aircraft safety and maintenance. Investigators are expected to examine the damaged aircraft to establish exactly what happened.